


W-ASR - Call Of The Wild - Book 1

by Local_Nonbinary_Father



Series: Warriors - A Story Reborn [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other, cause the start of Warriors doesn't have a lot of cats, mostly as filler, outside of ThunderClan, there are some semi-original characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27074647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Local_Nonbinary_Father/pseuds/Local_Nonbinary_Father
Summary: We all know the story of Firestar - a once-kittypet who was swept away by the wonders of the wild and grew to be one of the most well-known leaders in the Clans.What if his story was different, though? What if he had been separated from his home at birth? Raised in the twolegplace by a mysterious old molly, Rusty finds himself drawn away from the blood-soaked streets and into a forest filled with secrets.This is part of my project: Warriors - A Story Retold. It's an openly LGBT+ retelling of the original story born of many AUs and headcanons.Though there are a lot of changes to the original story, I do consider this an open love letter to a series that help me through a lot and brought me to a lot of people I openly consider some of my close friends.
Series: Warriors - A Story Reborn [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976008
Comments: 9
Kudos: 30





	1. Prologue

The moon loomed overhead, a claw in the dark sky, surrounded by many glittering stars that illuminated the forest below in a dull light. Shadows lurked among the roots and trunks of the trees, only disturbed by the whispering wind as it tugged at the dark shapes, telling of things to come with the changing of the seasons. 

A feline sat in a towering tree, overlooking the moving shadows as they weaved out of existence. The blue-gray fur of this molly - who watched with worry in her eye - was turned silver as the moonlight struck her. Though her features were proud and noble, in the moment she looked weak and tense. Breathing in the scent of the cool night air, she closed her eyes and listened to the soft song of the surrounding darkness. The chill in the air was no longer as strong as it had been before, but that was hardly enough to allow this she-cat to relax in the slightest.

"I'm not surprised to find you seeing off the patrol, Bluestar," A voice sounded from below the tree, soft as the song of the wind. Opening her eyes, Bluestar glanced down in time to see a tortoiseshell, whose dark pelt was covered in golden spots. This tortoiseshell she-cat gave a sympathetic tilt of the head as she craned her neck all the way up where the blue-gray molly was. "But you look unsettled. You don't think it's going to go well, do you?"

Bluestar looked away at the question, her falling whiskers giving away that it struck a little too close to the truth. As she gathered her answer, her ears angled to hear the slightly shorter molly scrambling up the tree to join her in sitting under the stars. For a moment she glanced towards the tortoiseshell, the sweet scent of flowers and herbs that she carried on her scent catching the older molly's attention for a brief moment. After a heavy sigh, she nodding in conformation at the question posed.

"It's not that I don't trust RiverClan, Spottedleaf - Crookedstar is a good leader, after all.."

Spottedleaf nodded before Bluestar could even finish her thought, which was well enough as the leader had trailed off.

"But this leafbare was rough on all four Clans," She finished as she gave an understanding glance to the leader before looking up to the sky, the shimmering stars reflected well in her amber eyes. The blue-gray molly also looked up, as if looking for something. "StarClan never gave any warnings, though. So it must mean something."

"Does it?" Bluestar echoed, her shoulders tensing up even more as her mind piled on her worries. "Just because things haven't happened yet doesn't mean they won't ever happen any time soon. Especially with how ShadowClan has been lately and the fact that leafbare took its toll on more than just our Clan."

"Newleaf is here now," The smaller and younger she-cat pointed out as she looked over to Bluestar, breaking her gaze from the stars to assure the leader. "This means kits, apprentices, prey-"

"All those things take time. Time that Crookedstar or Brokenstar - maybe even Tallstar - could use to conspire against us." She countered, her tail lashing slightly. Spottedleaf narrowed her eyes, catching the leader off guard as the medicine cat was not one to show her annoyance often.

"You're getting into your own mind again. I know you worry for ThunderClan's safety but we're not all going to turn on each other. Just because we're under different names doesn't mean the four Clans aren't going to help each other out. After all, we need to stand strong. All of us. Together." She reminded the blue-gray molly. Bluestar's frustration faltered and her shoulders finally fell. 

"I know you're right, but I can't shake this feeling that a storm's coming."

Spottedleaf looked back to the sky, away from the concerned leader. Her brow furrowed but her expression was hard to read.

"Maybe you're right, but-"

A yowl sounded from the distance, catching the attention of both mollies. But as Spottedleaf's gaze was turned unblinking towards the darkened sky, Bluestar was already making her way down the tree as fast as she could. The scent of blood sent her mind into a frenzy and she bolted to catch up to the smell. Just ahead a patrol limped through the forest, once being the bold shadows she had sent off to the border with RiverClan.

Leading the cats was a tortoiseshell, small like the medicine cat, Spottedleaf, though his pelt has patches of fox-red - the same color covering his tail. Behind him strode a large and powerful brown tabby tom, whose face was dripping scarlet from a fresh rake across his face. He was carrying a cat smaller than either he or the tortoiseshell cat, whose brown pelt was matted with so much blood it was hard to tell how much was hers and how much wasn't.

"Redtail! Tigerclaw!" Bluestar yowled in shock. "What happened?!"

"Seems things didn't go as planned." Tigerclaw spoke first, his voice sounding like a disdainful growl as he continued to carry the small molly on his back. Redtail dipped their head, amber eyes glinting apologetically. 

"Things didn't go well with the RiverClan patrol that Crookedstar sent," He informed, his shoulder wincing involuntarily , though there was no obvious wounds. "He had sent his brother, Oakheart, and several of their strongest warriors. Though neither of us suffered any loses, they took the Sunning Rocks for themselves." 

He seemed to want to speak something else, but shook his head in dismiss of it. Bluestar barely took notice, her mind blank with shock at the news. She had been hoping the fine hunting ground would stay under ThunderClan's name. Tigerclaw stepped forward, another drop of blood rolling off his muzzle and onto the ground under his paws. 

"They were cowards to attack," He stated bluntly and he shot a glance to Redtail before looking back to Bluestar. "After all, this was supposed to be peaceful, right? Then what right do they have to send a group of battle-ready warriors?" He growled, his frustration so strong that it could be felt within the air itself. "And then to go on and offer us some of our own prey as if we were desperate kittypets! Crookedstar's an old fool."

Bluestar shot the powerful brown tabby a look of warning before turning to Redtail.

"I want you to lead everyone to camp. I'll grab Spottedleaf, but Featherwhisker should still be in the medicine cat den. Make sure any of your injuries get treated." She ordered, the tense feeling she felt once in her shoulders now racing through her entire body. She watched as Redtail lead the others away, his dark red tail twitching and swaying with worry as he made sure that they would make it back. She felt lucky to have a cat she could trust like him.

A heavy sigh then escaped the blue-gray molly. Normally there was no issue with what territory belong to who, but just like many leafbares before, things became tense when prey became low. And even if no one else felt it, she knew something was going on. A darkness was coming, but it felt as natural as the wind itself. Unseen claws dug into her pelt, telling her that the time to relax was long gone. A change was coming - a horrible storm whose rumbles could be heard on the horizon. It was the question on _when_ not if.

Padding back towards the tree she once sat in, Bluestar was surprised to find that Spottedleaf hadn't budged from her spot.

"Spottedleaf?" She called up, ears angled towards the tortoiseshell molly as her whiskers twitched in worry. There was no response. Concerned, the leader climber her way up, tail twitching constantly as she made her way to the younger she-cat. Once she was beside her again, she tried to catch her attention once more; "Spottedleaf?"

The medicine cat looked towards her, amber eyes vacant as if she had seen something.

"Fire Alone Will Save The Clans."

Bluestar blinked in surprise.

"Fire alone-" But her question fell short as Spottedleaf fell limp. She grabbed the somewhat small molly by the scruff to avoid letting her fall to the ground. As the leader carefully climbed down to bring the healer back to camp, her mind was plagued by confusion.

 _Fire Alone Will Save The Clans.._ The words echoed in a familiar voice that didn't belong to Spottedleaf, Tigerclaw, Redtail, or even Featherwhisker. It belonged to someone who had been gone for many moons now. All she could picture was her uncle, Goosefeather, his whiskers frazzled with stress and his pelt unkempt. He, too, spoke of fire.. But back then he had spoken those words about her. _Am I still the Fire? Or is there someone else?_

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

Paws pounded on wet ground as thunder deafened the small kit. His chest ached as he screamed, but his voice was lost in the storm. Where was everybody? Why was he alone? Which direction was home? Was his family still even around. Rain struck his tiny body as hard as wet little stones as he refused to slow down. He felt small and lost but he knew that he couldn't stop. Stopping would be the end, right?

The end of what, he didn't know. All he could remember was someone yelling to run, but they had yelled that so long ago that he couldn't even remember who had told him.

A scream pierced the storm. 

He stopped and turned around. A small shape. As small as he was. Brown. A kit. He opened his maw to call back but shock silenced him as, through the rain, an even larger shape came. A shape so large it hurt him to event try to look up at it. He screeched out to the other kit, to the brown, shivering shape, but it vanished with the large being. As if none of it existed in the first place.

He turned and ran after it, though the chills from his soaked pelt made him want to curl up and cry until he could feel the sun again. He screamed for the other kit, but he couldn't even hear his own voice. Shadows trailed after him as he ran the way he came. Something was following him. He knew if he turned around whatever was chasing him would catch him.

If he was caught it was the end. Whatever 'the end' was.

A wrong paw-step sent the tiny tom-kit stumbling. However, instead of stumbling onto ground, the ground under him collapsed. He flailed helplessly as the world vanished from his grasps, his screams still deafened by the storm he could no longer see or feel. His last attachment to anything around him was a flash of lightning snaking quickly through the blackened sky.

His whiskered trembled as he knew that there would be ground. That he would hit something. He wasn't sure how he knew this or when he would hit. All he knew is that it would be soon. Slamming his eyes shut, he already forgot about the brown kit and the strange, towering shape. They were gone and he could sense that the ground that awaited him was only getting closer at this point.

And right before he hit it - 

The ginger tom jerked awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy the start of this passion project! I'm excited to work on this, as stated in the summary I have a strong love for Warriors, even with its flaws as a series.
> 
> This series is going to heavily feature a lot of LGBT+ characters [again, stated before, but something I'm excited about] and will likely have many parts. I have no clue if I'll go as far as The Broken Code, but I do know I plan to write a lot and that I have a lot planned for this - including a lot of 'side' stories.
> 
> I do ask, since this is an LGBT+ friendly series, that you all are respectful to each other. I get some people don't like Warriors when its gay, involves non-cis characters, etc. and if that's something you don't like, then this may not be the series for you. 
> 
> Aside from that, I do hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing this!


	2. Allegiances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I work on the next [full] chapter, here's the allegiances + a fun add-on snippit from the prologue just so you don't have to read names constantly  
> Now, the family trees are not the same as canon [at least not completely] and I do have a self-made family tree that I have updates lasting for a while on. Whether I go as far as the updated trees, who knows.
> 
> Also! The Clan layouts are different as are the rules of the Clans! This will all be gone over in due time, but I am willing to clear any confusion up going forward.
> 
> also no i do not intend to be 100% more realistic with cat genetics cause I do find blue eyes with no white fur charming + the other flawed genes in Warriors. I am not a king of realism and no one wants to watch me stress about cat genetics for hours.

**ThunderClan**

LEADER \- 

Bluestar, a powerful blue-gray she-cat with icy blue eyes

DEPUTY \- 

Redtail, a somewhat small tortoiseshell tolly with a distinctive ginger tail **Mentors Dustpaw**

MEDICINE CATS \- 

Featherwhisker, a thick-furred white tom with bright eyes

Spottedleaf, a small tortoiseshell with a distinctively dappled pelt

MESSENGER \- 

Runningwind, a swift brown tabby tom

WARRIORS \- 

Rosetail, a tabby molly with a distinctive ginger tail

Lionheart, a magnificent golden tabby tom with a thick mane of fur **Mentors Graypaw**

Tigerclaw, a big dark brown tabby tom with long front claws **Mentors Ravenpaw**

Whitestorm, a big white tom **Mentors Sandpaw**

Darkstripe, a black and gray tabby tom

Stonefur, a powerful blue-gray tom

Mossdusk, a somewhat sickly gray and white tom

Longtail, a pale tabby tom with black stripes

Mousefur, a very small dusky brown she-cat

Willowpelt, a very pale gray she-cat with unusually blue eyes

APPRENTICES \- 

Dustpaw, a dark brown tabby tom

Ravenpaw, a small, scrawny black tom with a flash on white on his chest

Sandpaw, a lithe pale ginger she-cat

Graypaw, a solid gray tom with a distinctive dark stripe on his back

QUEENS \- 

Frostfur, a beautiful white molly with blue eyes **Mothers Lionheart's kits; Cinderkit, Brackenkit, Brightkit, Thornkit**

Goldenflower, a large, fluffy golden tabby she-cat **Mothers Tigerclaw's kits; Swiftkit and Lynxkit**

Speckletail, a pale golden tabby she-cat ; current Caretaker

KITS \- 

Cinderkit, a fluffy gray molly

Brackenkit, a golden-brown tabby tom

Brightkit, a ginger and white molly

Thornkit, a golden-brown tabby

Swiftkit, a black and white tom

Lynxkit, a ginger and black tom

ELDERS \- 

Sparrowpelt, a big dark brown tabby tom who is missing part of his tail

Smallear, a gray tom with notably small ears

Patchpelt, a small black and white tom

Palesong, a virtually blind and deaf pale gray molly

Dappletail, a tortoiseshell molly with a lovely dappled pelt

**ShadowClan**

LEADER \- 

Brokenstar, a long-furred dark brown tabby tom

DEPUTY \- 

Blackfoot, a large black colorpoint tom 

MEDICINE CATS \- 

Runningnose, a sickly, small gray and white tom

MESSENGER \- 

Flintfang, a scarred gray tom

WARRIORS \- 

Stumpytail, a brown tabby tom **Mentors Brownpaw**

Nightpelt, a thin black tom

Clawface, a battle-scarred brown tom **Mentors Littlepaw**

Rowanberry, a brown and cream she-cat

Applefur, a mottled brown tabby she-cat

Fernshade, a dark tortoiseshell molly

Scorchwind, a ginger tabby tom

Tangleburr, a gray and brown she-cat

Ratscar, a scarred brown tom

Deerfoot, a brown and black tabby tom

Russetfur, a dark ginger she-cat

Boulder, a silver tabby tom **Mentors Wetpaw**

Whitethroat, a black tom with a distinctly white throat and paws

APPRENTICES \- 

Brownpaw, a brown tolly

Wetpaw, a gray tabby tom

Littlepaw, a very small brown tom

QUEENS \- 

Dawncloud, a small, pale ginger molly

Brindleface, a pretty gray tabby molly

Brightflower, a black and white she-cat

Tallpoppy, a long-legged brown tabby she-cat ; current Caretaker **Mother of Oakkit ; father unknown**

Darkflower, a black she-cat **Mother of Scorchwind's kits; Lavenderkit, Cedarkit, and Rowankit**

KITS \- 

Oakkit, a small light brown tabby tom

Lavenderkit, a small silver molly with black spots

Rowankit, a dark ginger tabby tolly

Cedarkit, a dark gray tom

ELDERS \- 

Ashfur, a thin gray tom

Cinderfur, a thin gray tom

**WindClan**

LEADER \- 

Tallstar, a black and white tom with a very long tail

DEPUTY \- 

Nightheart, a black tom with a twisted front paw **Mentors Briarpaw**

MEDICINE CATS \- 

Hawkheart, an older stone-gray tom with dark brown flecks

Barkface, a brown tom with a short tail

MESSENGER \- 

Cloudrunner, a lithe, pale gray tom

WARRIORS \- 

Aspenfall, an older gray and white tom

Rabbitwhisper, a fluffy pale brown tabby she-cat **Mentors Dawnpaw**

Wrenflight, a brown tabby she-cat

Stagleap, a huge dark brown tom

Mudclaw, a mottled dark brown tom **Mentors Webpaw**

Tornear, a wiry gray tabby tom **Mentors Runningpaw**

Sorrelsong, a gray and brown she-cat

Pigeonflight, a dark gray she-cat with white patches

Onewhisker, a brown tabby tom **Mentors Whitepaw**

Bristlefang, a black tom **Mentors Mudpaw**

Strikeclaw, a scarred, small brown tabby tom

APPRENTICES \- 

Runningpaw, a light gray tabby she-cat

Smokepaw, a long-furred dark gray tabby she-cat

Webpaw, a wiry dark gray tom

Whitepaw, a small white she-cat

Briarpaw, a brown and ginger tabby molly

Dawnpaw, a ginger tabby tom with a strictly white tail

Mudpaw, a brown tabby tom with white patches

QUEENS \- 

Ashfoot, a swift gray molly

Morningflower, a tortoiseshell she-cat ; current Caretaker **Mother of Cloudrunner's kits; Gorsekit, Storkkit, and Quailkit**

KITS \- 

Gorsekit, a ginger and white tabby tom

Storkkit, a tortoiseshell she-cat

Quailkit, a pale gray and white tom

ELDERS \- 

Ryestalk, a gray tabby she-cat

**RiverClan**

LEADER \- 

Crookedstar, a huge, light brown tabby tom with a twisted jaw

DEPUTY \- 

Oakheart, a reddish brown tom **Mentors Shadepaw**

MEDICINE CATS \- 

Mudfur, a long-furred light brown tom

MESSENGER \- 

Sedgecreek, a brown tabby she-cat

WARRIORS \- 

Timberfur, an older sleek-furred brown tom

Graypool, a thin gray she-cat **Mentors Silverpaw**

Leopardfur, an unusually spotted golden tabby molly **Mentors Grasspaw**

Beetlenose, a crow-black tom

Blackclaw, a smoky black tom **Mentors Heavypaw**

Loudbelly, a dark brown tom

Whiteclaw, a dark-furred tolly with white legs

Petaldust, a tortoiseshell she-cat

Sunfish, a pale gray she-cat **Mentors Palepaw**

Mosspelt, a tortoiseshell she-cat

Mallowtail, a tortoiseshell and white tabby molly

Dawnbright, a ginger and white molly

Reedtail, a pale gray tabby tom with a dark tail **Mentors Vixenpaw**

Leafstem, a small gray tom ; the mirror image of his mother, Lilystem

APPRENTICES \- 

Silverpaw, a silver tabby she-cat with dark stripes

Heavypaw, a thickset brown tabby tom

Shadepaw, a very dark gray she-cat

Palepaw, a pale silvery white tabby tom

Vixenpaw, a black she-cat

Grasspaw, a brown-stripped tabby tolly

QUEENS \- 

Softwing, a white and green-brown tabby molly ; current Caretaker **Fostering Dawnkit and Echokit**

Mistyfoot, a dark blue-gray molly with pale paws

KITS \- 

Dawnkit, a reddish brown tabby she-cat

Echokit, a pale-silver gray tabby tom

ELDERS \- 

Ottersplash, a white and ginger molly with a torn ear

Shimmerpelt, a night-black molly

**Cats Outside The Clans **

Yellowfang, an old, gray she-cat with a broad, flattened face

Barley, a black and white tom from the farm

Rusty, a ginger tabby tom with green eyes

Cocoa, a mysterious age-gray molly with hints of her once dark brown fur

Smudge, a plump, black and white kittypet tom

~+~+~+~+~+~

Bluestar had found herself unable to rest ever since Spottedleaf had given the prophecy.

_Fire Alone Will Save The Clans._

Squeezing her eyes shut, all she could picture was Goosefeather again.

_"Like a fire, you will blaze through the forest-"_

His words cut off suddenly as she felt a strong sensation pulse through her. She watched as a ragged old tom shifted in her mind, swirling and twisting until there was nothing but a gray flame that faded to orange. She no longer could feel the sensation of her eyes being shut and blinking a few times confirmed what she was suspecting - she herself was receiving this news as well. An answer to her confusion. 

Looking at the flame, she watched it warp, but never burn. 

_Fire._

The word stuck with her more than anything. _"Fire alone..." "Like a fire..."_

Always when she heard that word it filled her with this fear. Logical, she supposed, as fire was not a thing to take lightly. A fire could bring an entire Clan to the ground and there would be no remorse for this act of pure nature. Yet she had heard that word so many times and she wished she could figure it all out with just a simple thought. For so many moons she had feared that her path would lead to destruction and now here StarClan was, expecting her to face the word once more.

What sort of thing was going to scorch the ground?

Frustration built up in her chest as she looked up, finally taking in that she was just standing in a void of nothingness with this sign. 

" _Why do you keep doing this?_ " She shouted to the nothing surrounding her. She wasn't sure what she was asking - not fully. She knew fire meant danger and that she herself had been compared to it. She also knew that this was not the first prophecy given to her or anyone she cared about, but it didn't ease her mind any more or any less. She may not have known in detail, but she was aware how prophecies had affected her uncle and how he had forged her path to stop certain ones from coming true. " _Just give the answers!_ "

The flicker of fire caught her gaze and she looked down. Blazing pawprints made their way across the darkness. With slight hesitation, Bluestar followed, the orange glow dancing in her blue eyes. Was this them listening?

She kept walking until the flames stopped, watching as the sparks faded. 

She was alone again, but this time in darkness. Her frustration returned and she opened her maw to yowl in anger, just to be stopped the the sound of growling monsters and hissing cats. Jumping with surprise, she looked around, but nothing was there. 

It didn't take long for it to strike the leader.

 _The fire is going to come from from the twolegplace, isn't it?_ No answers came, but she didn't need it to. After all, the monsters' growls would haunt her until the day she died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you noticed some from words here that weren't in canon!
> 
> Caregiver is a perma-queen. They spend most - if not all - their time in the nursery, regardless of gender identity! Most do tend to be queens, but a tom or tolly isn't uncommon! They also help the medicine cat during kitting!
> 
> Speaking of tolly, it's a term me and some friends made for cats who do not identify strictly as a tom or a she-cat [though these cats may use gendered pronouns - i.e. this Redtail is a trans intersex tolly who uses he/they pronouns]  
> There are also trans cats in the story, more than just non-cis genders. Trans toms and trans mollies also appear and some are even listed up above! [If you're curious on who, I'm more than willing to share the answers, of course!]
> 
> Messengers are a Clan-specific role and comprises of one cat who delivers news/prey/warnings to other Clans [if you've seen Moonkitti's video on the subject of changing the Clans, you know what this is]
> 
> If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them!  
> Also, if you have any theories on what families were changed, I'd love to hear em!  
> Of course, I already know, but hearing you guys' thoughts are always fun <3


	3. Chapter 1

Early dawn sunlight filtered weakly through the clouds as the faint chill of night slowly faded to a light warmth. The chirping song of birds filled the air as they swooped over structures much larger than themselves. Distant growls from metal beasts was the only noise of the morning that managed to cover the graceful songs. But all was not as peaceful as it felt. Laying in a makeshift nest inside a garden of a long-abandoned twoleg den - made of what little could be found in the twolegs' area - laid a young ginger tom, tossing and turning in his sleep. His whimpers and quickened breath spoke of the nightmare plaguing him.

And with a sudden, sharp gasp of shock, he woke up with his ears pinned against his skull and his fur fluffed out in fear.

"Quite a dream you were havin' if it had you mewling like a kit, Scrappy." A voice croaked from nearby, causing the dazed tom to turn at such a speed it made him dizzy after his strange dream. Sitting on the fence that surrounded the overgrown garden was a molly, scrawny as a rat and fur that was so age-gray that the young tom could barely pick out the strands of dark brown. With his pulse slowing, realizing who this was and that it had only been a dream, he let out a tired sigh.

"Rusty," He corrected with another shaky breath, stretching as he moved out of his nest. His belly growled, telling him he would need to eat soon. However, he was more confused than anything. "What brings you back around here, Cocoa? I thought you were moving deeper into the twolegplace?"

Cocoa approached, her frail form still holding strong.

"As much as I like the easier meals, the cats in that place were always trouble an' it feels like they're gettin' worse," She huffed before cracking a smile and patting the young tom on the head with one paw. "Besides, they ain't got nearly as much personality as you."

Rusty wasn't expecting the compliment and he let out a small, mildly flustered and surprised, laugh at her words. Before he could respond, his stomach growled once more, this time being louder in its insistence. This earned a look from Cocoa.

"Well, since I just woke up, I could catch us something?" The tom offered, tilting his head slightly. The old she-cat let out a soft snort.

"Like I'd sit back an' let you hunt for a molly in her prime," Cocoa meowed, her head high. Rusty was unaware of the look that crossed his face, but it was caught quickly by the elder. "Watch what you say, Scrappy. I may be gray around the muzzle but that don't mean I can't hunt."

 _It's more than around the muzzle._ The words came to the young tom's mind but he held back the words out of respect. Besides, he knew better than to judge Cocoa. After all, his earliest memory was of the old molly nursing him back to health. He owed a lot to her - at least, in his own opinion he did. He knew Cocoa didn't like him thinking that he owed her anything. It was something he continued to hold on his tongue, but it stayed present in his mind.

"Well, are you gonna sit there like a wide-eyed pigeon or you gonna come help me hunt?" Cocoa's voice caught Rusty off guard and he realized quickly that the she-cat was leaving without him. Ears angled up, Rusty bounded after her as quickly as his legs could carry him.

"I'm coming! Promise!"

Passing over the fence, Rusty looked through the dens, in the direction of the busier part of the twolegplace. His mind constantly wondered what happened there, why those cats were so frightening that not even Cocoa wanted him to see. Before he could ponder on it long, though, he noticed the elder was well on her way and he jumped down quickly to catch up with her. Sniffing the air, the first scent he caught was that of mice.

He wasn't the only one, though, as Cocoa smelled the air, too. He watched as the she-cat tried to locate where the smell was coming from.

"I will say, I think eatin' fresh prey instead of chicken or other twoleg meat would be a nice change of pace for just a moment." She seemed to be talking to herself, but that only fueled Rusty's determination to get a nice, fresh catch for the elder. Without too much other thought, he moved towards the scent at a steady pace, not slowing until the scent began to get stronger and stronger. Within time he spotted the tiny, fuzzy brown body of a mouse, sniffing around for its own food.

Dropping into a crouch, Rusty felt a surge of excitement. He hadn't hunted often - after all, Cocoa had first taught him how to scavenge before she ever taught him how to hunt - but every time he did, he felt a strong rush. Embracing this energy, Rusty wiggled his haunches excitedly. Once he was sure of his catch, the orange tabby pounced, eyes focused on the mouse. What he didn't expect, though, was that the mouse had already spotted him and by the time he pounced it had began to dart. His eyes widened right before he hit the ground. Chest pounding, he wasn't even focused on how hungry he was. What mattered now was the mouse was there and he watched to catch it. 

From behind himself he could hear the faint pawsteps of Cocoa, telling him she was still nearby. 

Chasing after the mouse, he watched as he scrambled its way towards a hole in an old wooden fence. Eyes dilating, Rusty dropped into a quicker, messier crouch and pounced once more. However, a hole a mouse could climb through didn't easily mean it was big enough for a cat, even one who had reached his sixth moon, like Rusty. His speed from the hasty pounce helped him get partially through, but he was pulled to a sudden stop as he was stuck in the fence.

A howl of laughter sounded behind him as he could hear Cocoa wheeze and rasp in amusement. He glared after the mouse as it skittered away watching as it vanished into some bushes. However, looking past the bush his lost prey went into, Rusty's eyes widened. 

He became vaguely aware that Cocoa was saying something, but he couldn't focus on that. Instead all he could really pay any attention to was just the _endless_ trees and underbrush only a couple fox-lengths away from where he was. For all the time he had lived in the area, he hadn't seen so many in one place! Before he could be enraptured by the sight any longer, pain brought him back to reality. Sharp teeth on his tail as he was yanked out of the small hole. 

Cocoa was still letting out her raspy chuckles when she saw his face - and stopped. Her gaze went from amusement to confusion and concern in only a heartbeat.

"What's got you like that, kit?" Words were lost on Rusty in the moment. All he could see in his mind was the trees that felt like they went on forever. He turned and quickly jumped up onto the fence, whiskers trembling slightly in what he could only describe as a strange sense of anticipation. It didn't take long for Cocoa to join him, her confusion turning tense as the two gazed towards the endless bark and leaves.

"What's that?" The young tom asked, looking towards Cocoa for a brief moment. There was something about the look in her eye that shifted more and more away from confusion, but it was a look he had never seen before.

"Those are trees. You know what trees are Rusty."

"There's so many of them here, though!" 

"Because this is a forest. A forest filled with-" Her words were cut short when Rusty jumped down from the fence and started padding towards the new place. " _Rusty!_ "

The shock from Cocoa caught the tom off guard but he couldn't escape this strange mesmerization that he felt. Sniffing the air, he could smell so many things at once it almost felt dizzying. Despite the overwhelming smells, though, he wanted to see more. He started to move closer and closer into the forest, but was stopped when Cocoa barreled in front of him, her aging fur bristled. He had never seen her look so horrified..

"Rusty, don't take another step!" She ordered, worry rolling off her in heavy waves. "The cats live out here are dangerous!"

The tom frowned at the remark.

"More dangerous than the cats you spend time with?"

Offence overcame the elderly she-cat, though her fear-scent was still heavy. She opened her maw to retort, but a yowl from nearby caught both cats off guard. Before either cat could find the time to react, a swift blur of gray broke through the forest, slamming right into Rusty. It was another tom - looking about the same age as the orange tabby himself - grinning with pride.

"I _told_ you I heard something!" The gray cat called out. It didn't need to be asked who the fluffy tom was talking to, though. Not long after he had slammed into Rusty, four cats followed and the orange tabby couldn't help but stare. They looked like cats, yes, but something about them was like nothing he had ever seen in the twolegplace.

The one leading the four was a blue-gray molly - her features giving off an air of strength and formalness. Next to her walked a solid white tom, larger but with vaguely similar features, but more fluffy fur. After that stood a blue-gray tom - identical to the molly in almost every way. Even their eyes were the same shade of ice blue. Finally, Rusty found himself staring right at what looked to be a lion - a magnificent and large golden tabby tom whose neck fur thickly fell like the bold creatures he had only heard from stories.

 _Wait.. Had I.. Ever heard of stories about lions from Cocoa?_ He glanced towards the elder but she seemed too shocked to even be able to respond to anything he asked. The lion-like tom passed a nod to the young gray feline standing on top of Rusty as the blue-gray she-cat stepped forward. The orange tabby was growing increasingly aware of how focused she was on him. _It's like she's looking at prey she's about to kill.._

"What are you doing here?" The she-cat asked.

" _Leaving_ ," Cocoa was quick to respond as she caught the gray tom off guard by shoving him off of the tabby. The young stranger had a look of mild offence but the once-brown molly took no notice of him and instead nosed Rusty up to his paws. "Let's go, Rusty."

The molly stepped forward, her gaze not leaving the ginger tom for even a moment. 

"Rusty, is it?"

The blue-gray tom looked over at the older molly that he resembled. 

"Bluestar?" His confused words were met with silence from the she-cat that Rusty could only guess was named Bluestar. He looked back at the older of the two almost identical forest cats and even he could see that she was thinking of something.

"How old are you, Rusty?"

"Six moons?" His confusion was only growing. Cocoa moved between him and 'Bluestar'.

"Don't answer these cats," She warned him. "They're up to no good."

The tension from the old she-cat was ignored, however, by the youngest of the forest cats. The gray tom bounced up and down excitedly at hearing how old Rusty was.

"Woah! I'm six moons, too!" He chirped excitedly. The lion-like tom placed his paw softly onto the head of the fluffy young cat as if in an attempt to stop him from bouncing right up into the air.

"Calm down, Graypaw. These are still trespassers after all." Though he looked so frightening, there was something warm about the way this golden tom spoke that even put Rusty at east - despite, apparently, being considered a trespasser. 

"Sorry for trespassing," The ginger tabby dipped his head slightly, his mind buzzing in excitement, even if he could feel the anxiety coming off of Cocoa. He glanced back up, trying to gaze at every single forest cat. "Does.. Does this whole forest belong to you?"

"In a way, yes." The white tom was the one to answer as he glanced at the blue-gray she-cat before focusing his gaze back on the young ginger tom. As Rusty looked over these cats, he became more and more aware of how much he wanted to know. These were such strange cats with strange names. He winced when he felt Cocoa grab his tail, trying to pull him back to the twolegplace, but when he refused to budge she let him go. He understood she was scared, but something in him _needed_ to know more.

"Bluestar and Graypaw are two of your names, right? What about the rest of you?" He asked, whiskers trembling slightly. There was a strange excitement to all this knowledge. There was a moment of silence - a moment where all four of the older cats looked at each other. As if in unspoken agreement, they turned back to Rusty. The white tom spoke first after that strange moment.

"I'm Whitestorm." He introduced with a small dip of his head.

"I'm Lionheart," Introduced the golden tom - which, Rusty had to say wasn't surprising. He certainly looked the part. "Graypaw here is my apprentice."

Graypaw seemed happy just to be included, even if his name had already been known.

"And I'm Stonefur," Spoke the blue-gray tom as he sat next to Bluestar. Easy to say, Rusty had no doubt they were related at all. "Bluestar here is our leader."

Bluestar dipped her head slightly at being mentioned before adding in herself; "The five of us are all proud and loyal members of ThunderClan."

"ThunderClan?"

There was a tense moment of silence. Even more tense than what happened just moments before as he could feel prickle of Cocoa's anxiety as she sat next to him. Though she was in no shape to fight, the graying molly had not stopped being on guard since the moment Rusty had moved towards the forest. He couldn't fathom why, though, as everything about this place felt mystical and brilliant. Finally, as the forest cats spent another second in hushed agreement, Bluestar looked to Rusty.

"You know, ThunderClan is always looking for more warriors. As long as your.. Caretaker doesn't mind, of course."

"I _do_ mind, actually." Coco hissed, her fur bristling even more. Something inside Rusty felt hurt that Cocoa wasn't even going to let him consider the offer and he looked towards her. He could tell she knew he was looking at her by the sideways glances.

"Can we at least think about it?"

" _We will n_ -"

" _Please_." The plead seemed to work as Cocoa glanced toward Rusty. He couldn't read her expression and he wasn't even sure _she_ knew what she was feeling in the moment, either. She glanced towards Bluestar and the others before back to the young fiery tom. Then she let out a defeated sigh.

"Okay. We'll talk about it, Rusty."

Excitement spread through the young tabby as he turned towards the group of ThunderClan cats. Bluestar gave a nod.

"Very well. I'll let you two talk it over. I'll come by this place tomorrow to pick you up. If you're not here by sunset, however, I'm going to assume you changed your mind," She informed the two before a pause. She seemed to be thinking of something. "And just know, this life won't be easy. You will not have the comforts of the twolegplace and you will be expected to stick around and learn our ways. Do you understand?"

Rusty nodded. He figured the forest wasn't easy. After all, the way Cocoa spoke about it gave him more doubt than Bluestar's warning. That didn't stop this feeling inside of his chest, though. This call towards something greater than himself.

"Then be on your way. I anticipate your response."

With that, Rusty finally followed Cocoa away. The two walked for quite a while, silence weighing heavy as they didn't stop until they reached the garden where Rusty usually slept at. His belly still rumbled with hunger, but his mind wasn't on hunting. It was on the cats he had met. 

"Rusty, why do you want to go with those cats?" Cocoa asked after the long silence. It caught the young tom off guard.

"Huh?"

"You begged me to consider lettin' you go. Why?"

"I.. I'm not sure myself but something's telling me that I have to.." 

"You don't _have_ to do anythin'," Cocoa countered, concern in her dull amber eyes. "They're nothin' but violent strangers."

Rusty didn't agree to that statement. If they had been violent they would've hurt him, right? Still, he couldn't ignore the fact he could see the fear on her features. She wasn't even trying to hide how worried she was and he wished he knew why these cats frightened her so much when the cats in the twolegplace were just as bad - according to the stories he had heard, of course.

"If they turn out to be bad cats, I'll leave." He stated as if it was a easy answer.

"And what if you _can't_."

"I will. I promise." 

Cocoa held his gaze for a while. For a moment he thought she was going to insist that he stayed in the twolegplace, but.. Instead she just start to laugh, which was a little jarring giving how he could still sense her worry for him. She patted the young tom on his head, her gaze filled with sorrow and warmth.

"There just ain't no stoppin' you, is there, Scrappy?" Her smile was sad and for the first time since he had known her, she actually looked old in more than just her gray fur. It was something about her expression that he couldn't place. "Be safe, alright?"

"I promise."

Though she didn't say it in words, he could feel the silent 'thank you' in her gaze. She moved her paw away and motioned for him to follow.

"Now, lets get you something to eat, future forest cat."


	4. Chapter 2

Rusty's body was tense as he found himself waking up from a restless sleep as there had been no dreams to take his mind off of the forest or to tell him if he was making the right choice. Stretching out, he was surprised to find a freshly caught pigeon just sitting next to his nest. The scent of Cocoa lingered on it, but the elderly molly was nowhere to be found. Part of his heart twisted sadly. Was she not going to say goodbye? Or wish him luck?

Leaning down, he sniffed again at the pigeon. _Maybe this was just how she wanted to say goodbye.. Making sure that I was heading out on a full stomach?_

He couldn't be sure, personally. Despite having known her for most of his life, she was a mystery.. Like how she complained of the twolegplace cats, but kept wandering back to that place even though she clearly didn't like it there. Unable to wrap his head around anything at the moment, Rusty began carefully plucking the feathers off of the bird and eating. His first bite soothed away any worries as he realized the meat was still warm, meaning that Cocoa may still be around. It gave him hope for a proper goodbye.

The first bite was quickly followed by a second and a third as the young tom realized just how hungry he was. Before he knew it, all he was left with was the remains of what was a plump pigeon. Licking his lips, part of him craved a little more, but he knew he didn't need it. His stomach wasn't empty anymore and he didn't want to eat too much before he met the forest cats. ThunderClan they had called himself. Just recalling the day before tugged his paws to wander back towards the endless abyss of trees and underbrush. Specifically he remembered the intense look in Bluestar's eyes as she addressed him, like she was both testing him and staring down a threat to her cats.

With his mind buzzing, Rusty started to move, pausing on the fence to sniff around for Cocoa. Still unable to find her, he moved closer and closer to the forest, walking the same path he had been wildly jumping after a mouse just a day before. As he neared the second fence - his last barrier between him and this new world - he spotted a shape sitting near the old wooden fence and his heart leapt with relief. 

Cocoa was sitting there, her back turned to him.

"Cocoa!" The ginger tabby ran over, the elderly molly not even wincing in surprise when she heard his shout. "I was hoping I'd get to say goodbye!"

"Not many get the luxury," The once-brown she-cat meowed, turning to face the tom. He slowed his pace to a stop. Worry wrinkled every feature of this older molly to the point that she looked so much older than she already did. "But you're a good one, Rusty, an' I couldn't just allow myself to walk away."

Though the statement was bittersweet, it was still enough to warm Rusty's heart. He padded over and softly touched his nose to her shoulder.

"Thank you, Cocoa.. For everything."

The old she-cat smiled and touched his forehead with her own nose.

"No, Rusty," She croaked as quietly as she could. "Thank you."

Unsure why she was thanking him, he didn't have long to dwell on her odd choice of words before she had pulled away and nudged him forward, towards the forest.

"Now get movin', Scrappy. That molly was true to her word an' has been sittin' out there waitin' for you for a quite a few minutes now," She gave a tired but genuine smile to the scrappy young tom. "An' don't think of this as a forever goodbye. Just a 'see you later' farewell."

Hearing those words helped the feelings Rusty was struggling with wash off him. He puffed out his chest, green eyes shining brightly with pure, uncontained determination as he readied himself to meet with Bluestar.

"See you later, then, Cocoa. It won't be long until I see you again." He vowed boldly before taking a leap onto the fence.

As he made his way across the fence and to the forest, he could hear his grandmother-like figure's final farewell - for now, he reminded himself; "May your paws always land somewhere safe."

Jumping off the fence, he darted towards the towering trees, worry having shifted to a intense excitement as he started this new chapter in his life. A life no longer as Rusty that kit who lived by himself, but as Rusty the forest cat! Or.. Whatever his name would be. It honestly surprised him to take this long to realize that he might be given a new name. Likely one of the strange ones like Lionheart and Whitestorm. He hadn't actually taken a second to consider that, but a strange name still wasn't enough to stop him.

As he finally passed through a threshold of bushes, it was easy to spot the blue-gray fur of the ThunderClan leader. 

"Bluestar!" The tom chirped, unable to hold back his excitement. However, before he could dart over, his paws held him back. A new scent hit his nose and he became tense without ever fully realizing it. Whiskers twitching, he approached more slowly.

"You're not alone," He realized as the scent seemed to be coming all over. "Someone's here with you. Who?"

The leader didn't even respond. She didn't have the chance to, after all, because - in a flash of white and gray light - Rusty found himself pinned under a new ThunderClan-smelling cat. This cat's blue eyes mirrored the same icy color as both Bluestar and Stonefur.

"I'll admit," The cat gave a half grin as they starred down at the young tom. "I didn't expect to found out right away."

Bluestar's whiskers gave a twitch of amusement.

"Neither did I," She responded as she motioned for the cat to get off of Rusty - which was followed the same moment the order was given. Bluestar than motioned to the gray and white warrior. "Rusty, this is my son, Mossdusk."

"I'm sure you remember meeting my brother, Stonefur, yesterday. I'm basically a better him." Mossdusk held up his head with pride, though Rusty had to disagree. Where Stonefur had the more powerful build of Bluestar, Mossdusk didn't look as strong. Not only that, but even now Rusty could hear the faintest wheezes from the gray and white tom, as if just the action of pouncing had taken more air out of him than he had expected it to. In his own mind, he could see Stonefur being stronger.

Not only that, but he noticed something new about Mossdusk's scent. One that reminded him of himself, though he didn't want to bring it up, nor did he want to bring up his feelings on which of the two of Bluestar's sons were better.

"It's nice to meet you, Mossdusk," Rusty dipped his head. "I'm Rusty."

Mossdusk's whiskers twitched in amusement.

"Smart and well-mannered," He turned towards Bluestar with a grin. "You really found a good one for ThunderClan, huh?"

Bluestar gave such a faint smile that Rusty almost didn't catch it at first. She motioned for both toms to follow her as she started to travel deeper inside the woods.

"So, you said ThunderClan owns this whole place?" The ginger tabby asked, ears pricked as he prepared to learn more about this place he was planning to call home.

"I said we do in a way," Bluestar corrected, her gaze fixed ahead, but her ears angled towards the young tom. "There are four Clans out here - including ThunderClan. We all live vastly different lives with different rules for our Clans, but we're _supposed_ to work together to thrive."

"Supposed to?"

Mossdusk cut in this time, getting a raised brow from Bluestar as he did so; "Yeah. Of course, sometimes leaders from different Clans don't agree on something or one Clan is desperate and too prideful to let anyone know that they need help, so they take things for themselves without asking if it's alright. Cats do try to keep order but it's not like we can all agree on everything all the time."

"So what are the other Clans?"

"ShadowClan is the neighboring Clan we're closest to right now - though, I doubt if you can scent them from here," The leader took back control over the conversation without missing a beat. "They live in the marsh-like pines. WindClan - StarClan help them - find living in the open moorlands more at home. Not sure why, honestly. And RiverClan-"

Bluestar paused and Rusty could see her ears and whiskers fall. Something was bothering her, but she didn't seem willing to speak about it.

"RiverClan likes water," Mossdusk meowed as he gazed at his mother sympathetically before turning to the ginger tabby with a half smile. It was almost as if the tom didn't want any awkward silences falling at the mention of RiverClan, but Rusty couldn't fathom why. Was RiverClan a bad Clan? "They're not the only Clan that eats fish or swims, granted, cause any cat who wants to can, but they're more fond of it."

Rusty nodded, his gaze fixed on Bluestar for a moment before he noticed something.

"You said there were four Clans," He meowed. "Who's the fifth?"

Mossdusk blinked in confusion.

"The fifth?" After a moment of thought, the gray and white tom blinked in realization. "Oh! StarClan! Well, you see Rusty, StarClan is our warrior ancestors. These cats can be seen at night as the stars in the sky. Though, it doesn't need to be night for them to watch over us."

The young tom looked up, whiskers twitching slightly at the thought.

 _Ancestors? In the sky?_ It was a strange thought, for sure. However, something about those words brought back the scent of dried grass and the scent of a tom who spoke in a deep voice filled with warmth and kindness. As quickly as the memory arrived, though, it faded, leaving a hollow feeling inside the ginger tabby. Was he missing something? Well, he knew he was since Cocoa had told him that she had no clue where he was from, but.. Something about this place was bringing these old memories back.

Before there was too much more time to grasp onto these fading memories, Bluestar halted.

"We're here." She glanced towards the ginger tom, her gaze intense in the same way it had been when they had met. "This is the last time to confirm, Rusty. Are you sure you're ready for this life?"

He nodded.

Without another word, the leader approached a thick barrier of gorse bushes, pushing leaves away to reveal an entrance. She walked inside, followed by Mossdusk, who in turn was followed by Rusty. The tom's heart was pounding so loudly that he could barely hear anything on the other side of the tunnel. As he reached the end, he held his breath, prepared to step into the light and see ThunderClan's camp for the first time.

Thick grass brushed his paws as he reached for the sandy ground that laid just past it. Tree stumps dotted the landscape as a wall of ferns, gorse, and brambles surrounded the more open area. A large boulder drew Rusty's eye as the scent and sound of cats everywhere flooded his every senses. The movement of the cats finally had the ginger tabby looking away from the stone and towards the sheer amount of cats that called this place home. His mouth went dry as he tried to take in every new face - from the sight of a pale golden molly entering a nearby bramble bush, seemingly changing places with a solid white she-cat that stepped out - to the sight of a small dusky brown she-cat with leaves and webs on her shoulder laying next to a cracked open rock that seemed to lead to a den.

With so much to take in, he almost missed spotting Stonefur, but after a double-take, he noticed the blue-gray tom laying next to Whitestorm. With them were three cats he didn't know - a pale gray molly, a large and fearsome-looking dark brown tabby, and a golden tabby molly who - even though she lacked a mane - reminded him of Lionheart. His heart thundered as he noticed that half of the cats in that group were looking right at him.

"Rusty!" A voice caught the tom off guard and he nearly stumbled. It took him a moment to realize that the excited meow came from Graypaw - the young tom from yesterday whose golden-amber eyes were shining with glee. "You decided to join after all! That's great! You're gonna love it here!"

With the help of the rambling ball of fluff, more and more eyes were drawn in the ginger tom's direction. As he made a brief stumble in the direction of Bluestar, he was becoming more and more aware of just how many cats lived here. This was more cats in one spot than he had ever seen..

  
"Cats of ThunderClan, gather around Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Bluestar's voice drew the attention of the Clan of cats, which allowed Rusty to give a sigh of relief. She motioned for him to come closer, so he moved until he was right in the shadow of the boulder the leader was calling from. He could sense Mossdusk nearby and glancing at the warrior, he could see the gray and white tom giving him a short nod. "Today we have a young cat who wishes to join our Clan."

Murmurs spread as a wildfire between the gathered cats, returning any dread Rusty had hoped he lost when the cats hadn't been looking at him. Now this meeting had him as the main focus and he wasn't sure how to feel. Glancing up, he had hoped to see a lick of inspiration from Bluestar, but instead he saw the leader staring down at him through her intense ice-blue gaze.

"Rusty, are you willing to forfeit your old life in order to join ThunderClan?"

_Forfeit?_

"Yes?" He struggled not to sound as nervous as he felt, but in the moment that he tried to speak, he failed to do so. However, even the wavering yes seemed good enough in the moment as the leader looked up and towards her cats. He watched as she seemed to lock eyes with a cat and motioned them forward. Turning back towards the clowder, a tabby tom stepped forward, his long tail swaying ever so slightly.

"Longtail, you've been waiting for many moons to show that you are able to put a cat's strength to the test. Here's your chance."

Rusty glanced around in confusion, but no cat locked eyes with him other than Graypaw - who seemed equally confused - and Mossdusk - who motioned for Rusty to step forward. So, step closer to Longtail he did.

"Rusty, in order to show you have what it takes, you need to hold your own against a warrior. You do not need to win, but you do need to hold out for as long as you can." Bluestar explained from her spot on the boulder. Though Longtail didn't seem as physically tough as the dark brown tabby, Stonefur, or Lionheart, the ginger tabby couldn't help but envy the leader from her spot above them all. 

"Begin!" 

Rusty didn't even have time to process who called out those words, though he assumed Bluestar as the black-striped tom charged towards him. The ginger tabby rushed forward as well, trying to lower himself and run between the legs of the warrior. However, his plan was noted and Longtail, instead, lowered himself and rammed right into the younger tom, dazing him.

He could feel sharp teeth in his scruff as older tom dragged him across the ground before attempting to throw the ginger tabby. Thankfully, he wasn't as light as he feared he was, as he hit the ground not too far from his opponent. 

Getting to his paws, Rusty bristled his fur and let out a shaky yowl as he charged back into the fight. He couldn't explain this feeling burning through his chest, but it was as if a fire had begun to burn inside him. Though he had never been in a fight in his life, this voice inside his very bones told him this was what he had to do. Without a moment of hesitation - not even to realize what he was doing - Rusty dug his claws through the pale tabby tom's ear, slicing it rather cleanly. 

Longtail let out a his and swiped his own claws out, hitting the ginger tom between the ears hard enough to topple him over in shock. He could feel Longtail pin his paws on his stomach faster than he could fully register what was going on. As soon as his vision returned to normal, he could see the tabby raising his head as if he had already won.

 _Not yet._ A voice growled from within. With a mighty kick, he sent Longtail stumbling off him, wheezing and gagging as he did so. Rusty lowered himself, tail lashing, but the taller tom seemed unable to continue as he stood there in pain and shock. Seeing this, Bluestar jumped down and stood between the two. The young tom felt warmth in his chest as her eyes had the faintest gleam of pride to them.

"With the fight over, my choice has been made. Rusty, are you ready?"

"Yes, ma'am." He could barely hear his own voice with how loud his heart was pounding in his own ears.

"Then, from this day forward, in honor of your spirit and your pelt - you will be named Firepaw."

"Firepaw! Firepaw!" The cheering of the cats around him made Firepaw dizzy. These cats didn't know him, and yet they were more than willing to celebrate him joining as if he was one of them. Being a part of this greater thing didn't dampen the fire inside, but made it burn brighter and more powerfully. He felt like he could take on the world with these cats cheering him on. 

As the cheering faded, Bluestar turned to Longtail.

"In honor of tradition - Longtail, you are now the mentor of Firepaw. May he learn your grace and wit."

Longtail, as far as Firepaw could tell in the moment, seemed to be the only one unamused by this as he let out a pained and frustrated groan. The feeling of strength began to fade as worry took over the ginger tom again. What if his mentor wouldn't like him? This worry was only cemented by the glare that the tabby was giving him. However, the new apprentice didn't keep Firepaw's attention as Mossdusk approached Longtail, snickering as he did so.

"Your first time being called for a trial and this is how it ends?" He asked, teasingly, as he lightly shoved the injured warrior. Longtail shoved back, still glaring, but his gaze softer than it was just seconds ago.

"Like you could've handled getting kicked." He wheezed, frowning weakly.

"I wouldn't have allowed myself to get kicked in the first place, fuzzbrain. Now, let's get you over to Spottedleaf and Featherwhisker before they tear my tail off for keeping you." 

Firepaw watched the two, his whiskers twitching curiously, but he was soon being nudged by Graypaw, who smiled at the ginger tom.

"That was such a cool fight! I've never seen Longtail lose a fight before!" 

"Is he a very good fighter?"

The fluffy gray tom paused for a moment, thinking about it, before shrugging. 

"I mean, I don't know personally. I just know I've never seen him lose," Firepaw glanced over his shoulder and Graypaw gave him another nudge. "How about I show you the apprentice's den? It's really nice!"

Following the fluffball apprentice, Firepaw noticed the clump of ferns where a pale ginger she-cat and a dark brown tom were talking amongst themselves. The she-cat glanced up as the two approached, her nose wrinkling ever so slightly as she did so.

"Why do you smell like that?"

Firepaw blinked in confusion.

"Like what?"

"You _reek_ of the twolegplace," The dark brown tom huffed in distaste as he took a step back. "What, were you a kittypet or something?"

The ginger tom took great offence to that.

"What? No!"

"Don't mind Sandpaw or Dustpaw," Graypaw lead Firepaw into the den, glancing back at the two apprentices. His brow was furrowed, though not in anger. Just in judgement of the two. "They don't have a nice bone between them."

Sandpaw stuck her nose up and away from the two and looked away from her as well. _Why was she so mean?_

Graypaw bounded over to a moss nest that was lined with down feathers and small flowers. 

"This one's my nest! If you're tired you can use it until we fix one for you." He offered, motioning to it. Rusty glanced over at the other nests - one lined with just feathers and the other being just plain moss. Part of him craved his strange twoleg-item nest but he knew it'd be quite the task to drag it all the way here.

"Thank you, Graypaw," He gave a light purr of gratitude before looking back outside. "Though, I think I'm going to hold off on resting. There's just a lot of new cats and new things here and it's a lot to take in."

Graypaw nodded.

"That's fair," He meowed, pausing a moment to think. "If you want, I could show you around more?"

"I'd like that."

The two smiled between each other for a moment before a voice called from outside.

"The border patrol is back!" Firepaw quickly noted it as Dustpaw's voice, as the sting of the tom's words were quite recent. Padding outside, curiously, Firepaw found himself in shock at the strong scent that made him feel very sick. Looking at the entrance, he was ever more shocked at what he saw - 

A small group of cats stumbled in, all of them covered in deep scratches and blood. In front of the group was a tortoiseshell, their amber eyes dull with stress and pain as they made their way deeper into the camp, an unconscious small black tom hanging limply on their back. His gaze was focused intensely on the leader, one eye partially closed as the blood from a wound over it trickled through their fur.

"Bluestar, there was an ambush."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes  
> true to the original  
> a vague ending


	5. Chapter 3

Even the rustling of the newleaf breeze couldn't be felt as Firepaw watched the russet tortoiseshell stumble into camp, leading a small group of warriors he had yet to see. However, once the word 'ambush' was uttered by tolly, whispers of worry and concerned chatter broke the silence. The newly named apprentice was shocked by the suddenness of this that he barely noticed when two cats darted out from the stone den where Mossdusk had taken Longtail.

Bluestar, who had been sitting outside her den since the trial ended, bolted over at full speed, her eyes wide with worry. However, there was no time for answers as one of the cats that originally ran over - a thick-furred white tom - stopped her in her tracks.

Firepaw strained his ears to hear what was going on but there were so many scared mutterings that it was hard to focus on any one voice.

"An ambush? From RiverClan? Why would StarClan allow that?"

" _Why isn't Ravenpaw moving?_ "

"Redtail can't be serious, right? _Right?_ Did someone really attack a peaceful patrol?"

As the ginger tom's gaze swept around the camp, he noticed Tigerclaw sitting by some of the cats he had been talking to before. His entire body looked tense as he watched the tortoiseshell stumble towards the medicine cat den. Carefully, Firepaw stepped closer to Bluestar and the others, straining his ears so that he could have any sort of clue of what was going on.

".. Oakheart led this patrol, too," The tolly spoke, ears fallen in distress. "Like what happened last time we tried to talk with them about Sunning Rocks. I-"

"Redtail,  _ please _ , just stop talking and get to the medicine cat den," Another tortoiseshell spoke - this one a dappled molly whose amber eyes burned with worry. "You can tell Bluestar about it all later. Featherwhisker and I need to take care of you, Ravenpaw, and anyone else-"

"That's it. No one else was hurt," Redtail's fur bristled in frustration. "Spottedleaf I know you're worried but-"

"Ravenpaw!" Firepaw was shoved to the side as Dustpaw ran towards the returning patrol. The white herb-scented tom moved from Bluestar and gently nose Dustpaw back.

"Please, everyone stop crowding the injured cats!" Though he was trying to sound polite, there was an edge to the tom's voice. "They need space!"

Dustpaw's pelt bristled in frustration but before he could argue further, Sandpaw trotted over and nudged him away. For a faint heartbeat, Firepaw could see that even the pale ginger molly was worried by everything going on. A path cleared as Spottedleaf and who Firepaw assumed was Featherwhisker led the two injured cats into the medicine cat den. The remaining patrol stayed behind, fear-scent rolling off them in waves.

"Redtail may be exaggerating about an ambush," Spoke one of the cats - a dark tabby tom. With all the worry everywhere, the ginger tom had to admit this cat was doing well under pressure. He himself could barely hide his worry and he hardly knew anyone here. Yet here was this black and gray tabby looking Bluestar dead in the eye with a serious expression. "But one thing is true - RiverClan isn't playing fair and they're not sticking true to the Warrior Code."

Bluestar's whiskers trembled slightly at the news.

"Thank you for informing me, Darkstripe. Once Redtail's recovered we'll speak more on this." Though her words came out, her worried glances towards the cats vanishing into the den inside the cracked stone told a different story. 

_ She wants to know more now.. They all do. _ As the thought crossed his mind he looked across the camp again, finally noticing Graypaw had returned to his side. The solid gray tom's pelt stuck out like a burr. Was the apprentice familiar with these cats?

_ Of course. He lives here. _

"Runningwind isn't going to be happy to hear Redtail's hurt," Graypaw finally breathed, though he seemed to be talking to himself. "Willowpelt, either."

"Runningwind? Willowpelt?"

Firepaw's voice seemed to catch the fluffy tom off guard.

"Oh yeah," He let out a small breath before looking towards the entrance to camp, ears pricked towards it as if someone would be running through any moment now. "Runningwind is our messenger - he basically delivers news everywhere - and he's Redtail's mate.. Redtail being the tortoiseshell who came in."

"I figured that much.." The ginger tabby mumbled under his breath.

"Willowpelt is Redtail's sister," His body grew tense. "She's not gonna be happy they got hurt."

"Is anyone?" The phrasing was something Firepaw found odd as he glanced to Graypaw after looking away from the camp entrance. Realizing what he said, he shook his head in surprise.

"No! Of course not! Redtail's the deputy and he - they're - a really good one. Everyone likes them." 

Firepaw noticed the black and gray tabby, Darkstripe, staring at him as he and Graypaw spoke. It didn't take long for the fluffy gray apprentice to notice that they were being looked at either and - only for a moment - did he fall silent.

"What was dragged in this time?" Darkstripe asked, brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"Oh, this is Firepaw. Bluestar just brought-" Graypaw paused and glanced towards the ginger tabby.

Firepaw, realizing what the gray tom was trying to figure out, leaned towards him and whispered; "I'm a tom."

"Bluestar just brought him in today. He's from the twolegplace."

"I see," The ginger tom couldn't help but wince at the distaste in Darkstripe's voice. The warrior turned his back on the two, but still didn't hide any of his comments; "I see even with kits born it's not enough to be dragging in more kits from who knows where."

Watching him walk off, Firepaw couldn't help but feel offended.

"What does he mean by that?"

Graypaw shrugged.

"I don't understand myself. From what I was told growing up, certain Clans are more than willing to take in outside cats to help when they need it. However, it doesn't stop.. Certain cats from thinking they're better cause some of us weren't born into a Clan."

He blinked in surprise at the comment.

"You're not Clan-born either?"

"From what I was told," Graypaw flashed a smile to prove he wasn't bothered sharing this. "Neither is any current apprentice. I was brought here as a kit, Dustpaw and Ravenpaw's mom joined the Clan and then vanished when they were apprentices, and Sandpaw-"

He paused and glanced at the pale ginger molly. She wasn't watching the two, but Graypaw still seemed hesitant.

"She was found like I was. That's all I can say. Not at the same time, of course, but she was brought in."

_ If there's so many non-Clan apprentices then why is Darkstripe so rude? Wouldn't he be happy there are any cats at all? _

"I wouldn't worry about what Darkstripe thinks," Graypaw meowed, making Firepaw blink in surprise. He could almost swear that the tom had read his thoughts.. "He probably  _ chooses _ to sleep with ants in his nest."

A trickle of amusement from the comment was enough to make the ginger tom smile for a moment before rustling near the entrance drew his attention. A pale gray molly bounded into the camp, her soft-looking fur bristled in worry. She didn't even give anyone time to stop her before she was barreling towards where Redtail had been taken. Not far behind was Lionheart and two mollies Firepaw had yet to see. All three of them, unlike the pale molly before, were carrying prey in their jaws.

"We smelled blood and a patrol," Lionheart meowed to Bluestar as he approached, still holding onto the robin in his jaw. The other two walked over to a pile of prey and dropped their pieces, ears pricked in worry. One of them - a pretty tabby with a ginger tail, even approached so that she could be closer to Bluestar. "Willowpelt came running the moment we could catch Redtail's scent. What happened?"

the blue-gray leader didn't answer, only motioning the cats to follow her. When they vanished into den carved into the boulder the molly had once stood on, Firepaw realized he wouldn't be hearing any other part of this conversation. Graypaw nudged him.

"When Bluestar knows more she'll tell the Clan," He promised before pausing and thinking. "Hey, I promised to show you more, remember? Follow me."

Graypaw led Firepaw towards a bramble bush thicker than anything Firepaw had ever seen, save from a hollowed out portion where he could see three she-cats sitting, staring out into the opening. One of them was the fluffy golden molly he had seen speaking to Tigerclaw, Stonefur, and Whitestorm. The other two, a white molly and a pale golden tabby, were new faces. The white she-cat was the first to notice them, worry in her gaze shifting to a strained kindness.

"Good to see you stopping by, Graypaw," She greeted with a tired purr. The young tom wasn't surprised that the cats were on edge. A lot had just happened, after all. "And it's nice to meet you, Firepaw."

"Hi, Frostfur," The fluffy gray apprentice smiled at the three. He motioned over to his companion as he spoke. "I came here to introduce him to everyone."

The pale golden molly nodded her head in greeting, but her gaze constantly flickered in worry towards outside. For a moment the tabby tom could feel this worry that maybe the molly didn't like him very much. 

"That's Speckletail," The fluffier of the golden she-cat meowed, noticing the young tom's gaze. "My mother. I'm Goldenflower."

"It's nice to meet you." Firepaw dipped his head respectfully. Goldenflower's whiskers twitched in slight amusement as she looked down at him.

"Quite the manners you have on you. Your mother must be really proud."

There was a moment of hesitation from Firepaw. He never could remember his mother. No face had ever come to mind when he ever tried. His silence was noted by those around him and finally Speckletail dragged her attention to the young cats in front of her.

"I'm sorry if what I said upset you," The massive queen touched her nose between his ears. He found this touch quite comforting and strangely familiar, though he couldn't place why. "Just know that while you're one of us, if you need any sort of motherly advice, that's what us queens are here for."

"We're more than just pretty faces," The pale gold molly finally spoke, lifting her head high. There was a warmth in her gaze in that moment. All this talking brought forth the kits from the back of the nursery. A fluffy gray she-cat stumbled closest than"We don't just lay around, eat prey, and have kits. We help the youth of the Clan in any way we can and if you ever need someone, we're here."

"Mama, why does this funny cat smell so stinky?" Asked the gray she-kit.

"Cinderkit!" Frostfur gaped in shock at the kit's bluntness. She passed an embarrassed glance over to Firepaw. "I'm so sorry -"

"I'm not," Cinderkit glanced away from her mother and back to the ginger tom. "Why are you stinky?"

"That's enough out of you." Frostfur picked Cinderkit up by the scruff and carried her into the den. Even though he had been called stinky, something in about the kit made him snort mildly in amusement. Graypaw was laughing just a little bit louder.

"The moment that one first learned how to talk she's never stopped." Speckletail purred in amusement as she watched the kits be ushered back into the den. Even from his spot in the entrance, Firepaw could hear the gray kit from before starting a ruckus with squeaks of protest. Goldenflower let out a laugh before shaking her head.

"You two toms better be off. We gotta settle Cinderkit down before she gets all the kits riled up," A new voice joined the kits in protest and the golden molly stiffened. She dipped her head to excuse herself. "Pardon me."

She hurried inside, followed by Speckletail. Graypaw seemed completely amused by what was going on.

"It's never a dull moment in the nursery," He explained, nudging Firepaw away and towards a new destination. "When Goldenflower's kits were smaller - Swiftkit and Lynxkit - they were playing hide and seek and Lynxkit hid so good that he actually got the queens to panic! Turns out he was just hiding under the fresh-kill pile."

Firepaw snorted, trying to hold back his laughter. 

"No way!"

"He did, I swear! The whole Clan was in a panic!" 

As the two laughed, the flame-colored tom was caught off guard when he walked headfirst into another cat. He jerked back in shock, and apologetically lowered his head.

"Sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"You should be more careful," A familiar voice meowed. Firepaw glanced up to see Whitestorm standing over him. He motioned behind himself, showing a den inside a bush, not too far from where the two young toms had been talking to the queens. "You two nearly walked right into the warriors den."

Graypaw dipped his head.

"Sorry about that, Whitestorm. I was telling Firepaw-"

"The story about Lynxkit, I heard. Just be sure to watch your paws while you walk or you're going to end up walking over someone's tail." Though his words were spoken in a serious tone, Firepaw noticed there was a glint of humor in the big tom's eyes.

"We'll watch out next time! Promise!" Graypaw quickly nudged Firepaw towards a log further into camp. The scent of more cats he never met hit the young tom's nose. "I want you to meet some of the coolest cats in ThunderClan!"

"The coolest cats?"

"Yep!" The gray tom didn't stop pushing the other apprentice, even when they reached a small lining of twigs that lead into a more hollow part of the log. The smell of new cats got stronger and stronger and something about the smell reminded him a lot about Cocoa. His heart ached for a moment, wondering if she was doing okay without him. What if something happened to her and he would never get to say goodbye? Was that the last time he'd ever see her?

_ What if- _

"Ta-dah!" Graypaw bounded in front of Firepaw, this thick fur puffed out in excitement. Behind him were a group of cats, almost all of them with age-gray muzzles - some even more gray than the others. There seemed to be five cats in total from what he could tell. "Welcome to the elder's den! These guys are the best!"

A tortoiseshell molly rose a brow as she glanced at the young toms.

"Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere if you don't introduce us to your new friend here." She meowed with a hint of amusement in her tone. The long-furred apprentice bounced on his paws before motioning towards the cats.

"Right! Firepaw, these are the elders of ThunderClan!" He first motioned towards the tortoiseshell. "This is Dappletail! She's the cat who helped raise me the most when I first got here! She's the greatest."

He then motioned towards the next two cats - a very elderly tom and a very elderly she-cat. The tom had as much as himself as possible curled around the old molly.

"This is Sparrowpelt and Palesong. They're two of the oldest cats in ThunderClan, but don’t let that fool you. They still got a lot in them."

Palesong looked up, her gaze almost distant as she tried her best to focus on the two. It made him question if what Graypaw was saying was true.

"Mm? Ah, this is the apprentice you mentioned, Sparrowpelt?" 

“Yes,” The elderly tom rasped, giving the molly a lick on the ear. “Firpaw I believe she said.”

“Firepaw, actually.” The apprentice corrected before his gray companion had a chance to. Sparrowpelt rose a brow but nodded.

“Right. Firepaw. That’s the name.”

Graypaw turned away from them as the couple spoke quietly to each other and motioned towards the last two toms in the den. A black and white tom was sound asleep, curled up. The other Firepaw realized came in with the same border patrol as Darkstripe, Redtail, and the one black apprentice - Ravenpaw he heard be called.

“The sleeping tom is Patchpelt. He hasn’t been the same since we lost Robinwing, but he’s not bad,” Then he looked at the gray tom that the tabby was staring at. “And that’s Smallear - cause he got small ears. Kinda obvious but-”

“You don’t need to explain my name, Graypaw,” Smallear rasped, tail twitched. “I’m sure it’s clear enough to young Firepaw here.”

“Right, sorry,” The fluffy apprentice dipped his head before looking at the ginger tom. “Elders don’t need to patrol or anything ‘cause they’re retired, but it doesn’t stop them.”

“We earned this rest but it doesn’t mean we have ‘ta be lazy for the rest of our lives.” The old gray tom meowed with a slight huff to his tone. Firepaw glanced away before he spent too long looking at the elder, but he couldn’t help but be curious about what Smallear had witnessed while out with the other cats. After all, Darkstripe and Redtail gave two different stories.

He never got the chance to ask, though, as a voice called into the den.

“Hey, Graypaw, Firepaw,” Came Mossdusk’s voice from outside. “Get your tails out here.”

“Let’s go see what he wants.” With the young gray tom’s suggestion, the two went out to find the gray and white tom standing near the entrance to the den. He gave a smile before motioning for them to follow behind. 

“So, grumpy whiskers is still getting himself checked out like the dramatic queen he is - good hit by the way, Firepaw - and Spottedleaf okayed us for visitors with Ravenpaw and Redtail being in there, so I wanted to formally introduce you to your mentor,” He explain, surprisingly upbeat for the bad news that had been brought today with the ambush. The moment they reached the rock, the warrior shoved Firepaw inside the den. “Hey! Burr-butt, at least say hi to your apprentice!”

“Mossdusk!” Snapped the old white tom - Featherwhisker, the ginger tom reminded himself. “I said you could bring the new apprentice in, I didn’t say you could cause a ruckus.”

The tom simply smiled.

“Come on, Featherwhisker, if I didn’t have at least a little fun, it’d be a rabbit burrow filled with foxes,” He meowed before nudging Firepaw forward. “Now go say hi.”

The ginger tom quickly noticed that eyes were on him. Redtail, Spottedleaf, Featherwhisker, and - of course - Longtail all watched as he entered the den. He could feel heat rise to his ears as he made his way to the lanky tabby before dipping his head.

“It’s nice to meet you, Longtail.” He meowed, glancing up just to find blue eyes narrowed onto him.

“Yeah,” He huffed, tail twitching in irritation. A cough from Redtail caused the tabby warrior to stiffen slightly. “It’s  _ nice _ to meet you to, Rust-” Another cough. “ _ Firepaw. _ ”

Worry trickled down his spine like ice-melt. Was his own mentor like Darkstripe? Was he never going to like him just because he wasn’t Clan-born. The tortoiseshell deputy nodded their head approvingly, though even they could tell things were tense.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Firepaw,” Redtail meowed from his nest. “I’ve been expecting to meet you ever since Bluestar brought the news to me. I’m sure you’ve heard my name already.”

“Redtail?”

They nodded.

“I’m ThunderClan’s deputy, meaning I’m the right-paw of Bluestar. And I’m sure you’d like to get to know these two - our wonderful medicine cats - Spottedleaf and Featherwhisker.” Firepaw had heard the names plenty already. 

“What about him?” He glanced towards the black apprentice. He already gathered enough to know that this was the Ravenpaw cat he had heard mentions of. Dustpaw even caused a bit of a scene at the sight of the small tom being injured.

“Ravenpaw’s your fellow apprentice,” Redtail glanced towards Spottedleaf with a weary glance. She simply nodded in response to the unspoken question. Seemingly satisfied, the deputy looked back to Firepaw. “You’ll have plenty of time to get to know him as time goes on.”

“Are you done talking to my apprentice?” Longtail asked with a raised yet furrowed brow. The flame-furred tom winced slightly at the bitterness in the tabby’s voice. 

“Watch your tongue,” The tortoiseshell cat chided. “It’s not just me you shouldn’t be talking to like that. Firepaw’s part of this Clan and you need to treat him like it. And, as a start,  _ you _ can join Whitestorm’s hunting patrol later and take him with you. I’m sure you could use the bonding time.”

Longtail bit back a hiss before stomping out of the medicine cat den. The younger tom hesitated for a moment before following out to where Mossdusk and Graypaw were sitting in waiting. Without glancing their way, the long-tailed warrior turned to Firepaw and stared at him through narrowed eyes.

“At least tell me you can hunt.”

Another moment of hesitation.

“I mean.. Kind of.”

“ _ Great StarClan _ ,” The warrior hissed. “This is going to be a long day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long these chapters are talking. On top of work, Writers Block has been knocking me down. However, I do plan to work on this whenever I have the chance.   
> With that said, I hope you all continue to enjoy this!


	6. Chapter 4

Firepaw could feel his spine grow tense as he followed Longtail out of camp, the two trailing just behind the rest of the patrol - which consisted of Whitestorm, Sandpaw, Stonefur, and Tigerclaw. The air hadn't settled well since Redtail's return, even as the sun got lower in the sky. He could still feel the worry rolling off of every cat and the scent of fear that came off those closest to the tortoiseshell deputy. They really had a lot to deal with here, didn't they?

Glancing at the cats in the patrol, they all had their heads down and their gazes focused ahead.

"I'm going to take Sandpaw towards Fourtrees," Whitestorm informed, turning his head to look back at the other cat. "Stonefur, I want you to head towards the Great Sycamore, Longtail take Firepaw to Owl Tree, and Tigerclaw-"

"Actually, Whitestorm, can I make a request on where I hunt?" The massive dark brown tabby asked as he dipped his head slightly to the white tom. There was a slight hesitation before the fluffy white warrior nodded.

"Of course."

Tigerclaw moved beside Whitestorm and spoke in a tone where Firepaw couldn't hear. He leaned forward slightly just to notice that - from not too far from himself - Sandpaw seemed to be doing the same thing. He locked eyes with the sandy-colored molly and she turned away quickly with a huff. Longtail glanced over to the ginger tom with a slightly raised brow.

"Stop messing around with Sandpaw and let's get moving." He ordered. Firepaw jerked his head back in surprise at the implication the lean tabby made as the two broke away from the patrol. He could feel his own ears burning for a moment.

 _Did he really think I was trying to flirt with Sandpaw?_ It felt silly to be embarrassed, yet he just couldn't get over it. Yeah, she was kind of pretty, but she had proven herself to be rude and distant already in the few hours that he had known her. He quickly noticed the warrior was looking at him and for the briefest moment he could see that his mentor was amused with the reaction that he had given. Even more flustered now, the apprentice looked away.

After he could feel his heart start to calm, he did realize the look was not one of coldness or distaste. Looking back up at the older tabby, he realized that was a genuine look of amusement. He doubted the warrior was already warming up to him, but he softly wondered if Longtail was as bad as he feared. Silent settled for the rest of the walk, giving Firepaw time to take in the sight of the territory. It was absolutely massive and he was in awe. No wonder so many cats lived here. He noticed a couple times during the walk where his mentor would glance over his shoulder and look directly at him and other times he'd look over his shoulder and past himself.

Firepaw had first assumed they were being followed, but after looking back and seeing nothing, he began to suspect that Longtail was just messing with him again.

After some time, the warrior slowed to a stop, pausing right next to a bramble bush.

"Alright," He motioned ahead, past the bush. Ahead of them was a rather massive and thick oak tree. Looking all the way to the top almost felt impossible to the ginger tom as he craned his neck until it began to hurt. "We shouldn't have to worry about owls just yet, since it's still light out."

"Owls?"

Longtail almost wheezed.

" _StarClan_ , do you not even know what an _owl_ is?" Firepaw shook his head and the pale tabby stifled a sigh. "An owl is a bird that comes out at night and a big enough one could carry off a full grown cat if it was hungry enough. That's all you need to know. So, we're going to work on hunting and be out of here before sunset. That work for you?"

"That sounds good.." The young tom shivered slightly at the idea of a bird big enough to carry a cat off. He had seen birds in the distance that he thought would be big, but none of them ever really flew close enough to the twolegplace for him to see them. Longtail nodded and patted the ground with one paw.

"Alright, so show me what you've got so far."

Firepaw nodded and dropped into a hunter's crouch - one Cocoa had taught him so many moons ago. It had only been less than a day so far and he found himself missing the elderly molly more and more. He knew she could handle herself but being in a group of stressed out strangers was off-putting to put it mildly. Sniffing the air, he caught the scent of a mouse nearby. He stalked through the underbrush very aware that his mentor's eyes were on him. He could feel the soft ground under his paws more vividly now, even if this wasn't his first time hunting in the grass. Scurrying near the roots of the towering oak, Firepaw saw a flash of dusky brown.

_I can do this. I got this._

Without a second of hesitation, he pounced. The mouse, already half covered by the roots, darted away as the ginger tom stood. He was dazed and in shock at how hard he had hit his head against the trunk, He could hear Longtail sighing behind him.

"Your form's good but the rest is sloppy," He approached Firepaw, keeping his voice low. "You went straight for it without considering the location, you weren't watching your paws to avoid leaves and sticks, and you pounce like a kit."

The ginger tom winced at the harshness of the words. 

“I was doing my best.”

“And you can do better,” Longtail countered. “Now, try again. If you catch something before sundown then maybe I’ll be able to show you the territory.”

He nodded at his mentor’s words but he couldn’t ignore the fact there was a sharp sting to his pride with how the warrior spoke to him. Were all mentors like this or was it just the pale tabby? He had a feeling it was the latter, though, seeing how fond Graypaw was of Lionheart.

The young tom’s mind was buzzing with Longtail’s words as he once again started to slink around to try to find prey.

_Consider where you are._

As he stalked about, he noticed a small finch pecking away at the ground. It was out in the open, a perfect target.

_Watch your paws._

Looking down, he didn’t see anything but a couple of leaves. Carefully stepping over them, he looked up at the bird. It hadn’t noticed him yet. Taking in a deep breath, he launched himself into the air, aiming for his target.

_You pounce like a kit._

Those words hit the hardest and Firepaw slammed into the bird. It chirped loudly in shock and pain as it struggled under the tom. Panicked that he hadn’t pounced on it as he intended, the apprentice struggled to get his paws on the bird so that he could deliver the killing bite. Thankfully, though, one of the finch’s wings had been injured in the faulty pounce, giving him the chance to kill it - though not as swiftly as he had hoped.

Firepaw turned towards Longtail, hope glimmering in his green eyes. However, he couldn’t really tell if the ThunderClan tom was impressed or not.

“That’s a good-sized finch,” The tabby started, whiskers twitching faintly. “But it was a messy pounce and a messy kill. Any prey in the area would’ve been scared off by that.”

The flame-colored tom winced again as the warrior let out a sigh.

“But I did promise that if you caught something, I’d show you the territory, so let's get that bird back to camp.”

“Aren’t you gonna catch anything?”

“I was planning on it, but I doubt there’s anything left to catch here. I’ll worry more about it while I’m showing you around,” The older tom motioned for the apprentice to follow. “Now, let’s get moving before the owls start to come out.”

There was silence as the duo returned back to camp. Firepaw struggled to hide how his mentor’s cold demeanor in training affected him. He hardly noticed that Longtail had stopped following him until he was inside of camp. Turning back, he noticed the tom standing outside.

 _He’s probably just going to wait for me._ The ginger tom thought as he carried the finch to the pile of fresh prey that the previous hunting patrol had started. He could hear faint chattering from the medicine cat den and for a moment curiosity pulled at his heart. 

As his paws urged him to move, he was startled as he felt a nose nudge his shoulder. Stumbling back, wide eyed, the tom looked up to see the gray and white warrior, Mossdusk, smiling down at him with kindness and mischievousness in his blue eyes.

“Don’t tell me ol’ grumpy whiskers sent you to camp all by yourself.”

“No,” Firepaw meowed. “He’s waiting outside of camp. He said we’re going to be checking out the territory-”

Before he could add anything, such as Longtail’s harsh criticisms on his hunting skills, Mossdusk straightened himself up and motioned to the camp’s entrance.

“Well, let us not keep him waiting,” He purred rather calmly before trotting towards the entrance. “You can grab Graypaw, too, so that you’re not left alone with the boring warriors.”

The ginger tom nodded, but found himself rather confused. What was meant to be mentor and apprentice training seemed to be turning into its own patrol now. With a soft sigh, he headed to the apprentices den, where he easily found Graypaw, curled up in his nest. Thankfully, the fluffy tom was not asleep, as he lifted his head when Firepaw entered.

“Oh, hey! Back already?”

“Sorta,” The brightly colored tom shrugged. “Mossdusk told me to invite you to come see the territory with me and Longtail?”

The gray tom’s amber eyes lit up at the invitation.

“I’d love to! Being stuck in camp with the warriors whispering isn’t as fun as it sounds.” He teased, nearly leaping to his paws. The two trotted to the entrance of camp, slipping through the tunnel to find Longtail huffing at Mossdusk, who wasn’t in the best mood, either.

“Why do you want to come along so badly?”

“It’s either that or listen to my Clanmates bad-talk my kin so-” Before the gray and white warrior could finish his words, he spotted the two younger toms and quickly bounced back from the rather serious look he had on his face. “Ah, the rest of the patrol has arrived!”

For just a moment the tall tabby looked concerned for his Clanmate before looking towards the two arrivals as well. He muttered something under his breath before soft shouldering Mossdusk. 

“It’s not a patrol. I’m just showing Firepaw the territory since we finished hunting early.” He stated stiffly. The shorter of the two warriors nudged his companion back.

“Come on, at least act like you’re happy to be a mentor.”

Longtail rolled his eyes but made no retort. Instead he flicked his notably long tail - Firepaw could very easily guess where the name came from - and started rounding the camp, heading north. The ginger tom noticed quietly that the striped warrior looked more than a little tense.

“So, where are we going?”

“Well, you already know Owl Tree, so I figured we’d just walk in a circle until we ended up back here. It’s not really hard to remember this place, but I’ll walk you through again tomorrow.” The pale tom stated, his pale green gaze flickering towards Mossdusk for a moment - though the other warrior didn’t seem to notice.

Silence settled only for a little bit as the four passed through the thick trees and underbrush until Mossdusk’s ears twitched at a distant sound.

“Ah, the thunderpath first. I see.” 

“ _ShadowClan’s border_ first, actually. I figured since he’s living here now, he better know the other Clans.” The sharpness of the tom’s words only seemed to confuse Mossdusk more than it seemed to upset him. He opened his maw for a moment but seemingly decided against it as he looked away.

Firepaw found relief in knowing the word thunderpath, as he was familiar with the dark paths that monsters - or cars as some of the twolegplace cats called them - raced down with no regard for the lives of anything that tried to cross.

“ShadowClan..” The new apprentice wrinkled his brow in thought. “That’s another Clan, right? Like ThunderClan and RiverClan?”

Granted he barely knew anything about the second Clan he spoke of, it had been hard to ignore the talk about it when Redtail had arrived. At the question, Longtail turned his head back and gave a small nod before facing forward again.

“Unlike the other Clans, ShadowClan does all their patrolling at night with very rare exceptions, so I doubt we’ll see any out here. Still, I want you to know where they are.” 

The silence resumed until the small clowder pushed through some older brambles and found themselves standing only a whisker length away from the foul-smelling stretch of stone. The scent was familiar to the twolegplace tom, but he noticed the forest cats around him quickly scrunched their noses up. 

“The cat smell is ShadowClan. The rest is the scent that the monsters stain this place with,” Longtail’s words were full of spite. “The creatures who run these paths don’t care what life they take, so avoid it at all cost if you can.”

Even though he already knew this, Firepaw nodded.

“Let’s get out of here,” Mossdusk shivered slightly and even Firepaw could see Longtail moving just a little bit closer to comfort his companion. “I think Bluestar would rip my whiskers off if she knew I was this close to the thunderpath.”

The last part seemed to be a joke, but it fell flat as there seemed to be genuine worry rolling off of the thin-framed warrior. Graypaw opened his maw to ask a question, but was silenced by a sharp look from Longtail, who nudged the fluffy apprentice back through the brambles.

“Next we’ll go by the Great Sycamore,” He decided as he led the other three. “We might bump into Stonefur if he's still hunting, so be mindful of where you walk.”

Graypaw rolled his eyes before nudging Firepaw.

“If prey doesn’t go running cause he’s hissing like a snake, then they’re not gonna budge at the sound of me waddling through the forest.”

The ginger tom couldn’t help but snicker a little, which earned another dark look from the tallest of the four. The tabby warrior shook his head and Mossdusk let out a light laugh.

“Why are you being such a ball of wet moss today?” He asked, but the pale tabby just shook his head in response.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, now talk.”

As the two warriors walked ahead, the two apprentices simply trailed behind. The brightly colored tom rose a brow as he watched the two ahead of them. They bantered a lot more strangely than he had ever seen two cats talk.

“Why do those two act like that?” He asked, looking towards Graypaw. The gray tom shrugged slightly as he glanced at his fellow apprentice.

“I mean, from what I noticed, mates talk weird like that all the time.”

Longtail visibly stiffened as he heard Graypaw’s words. He stopped completely and turned around to face the young ThunderClan cats.

“Mossdusk and I are _not_ mates yet!” He yowled, earning a raised brow from the gray and white tom.

“ _Yet_ you say?”

“I-” The pale tabby was at a loss for words. He was trying so hard to snarl and frown but his face was just lost in surprise. Wordlessly, he picked up his pace to a slight sprint, not caring if the other three kept up or not. Mossdusk shook his head, smiling.

“I should get him before he gets himself hurt. You got this Graypaw or do you want to wait here?” He asked, looking back at the two.

“I got this no problem!” The gray tom chirped with a firm nod. The warrior nodded back before turning and chasing after Longtail.

“Is he going to be okay?”

“Longtail? I mean, Mossdusk didn’t seem worried so I don’t think we should be.” The larger of the two apprentices shrugged and Firepaw nodded. That was a fair point, he figured. If Mossdusk had been worried he would’ve wanted to tag along for sure.

“Well, as your new mentor, I command you to follow me!” The amber-eyed tom had a grin so large that he looked rather silly. Firepaw snorted at the look and shouldered him.

“Alright, then, _mentor_ let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing character interaction is hard cause i don't want anything to sound super stiff dafkskdfjas
> 
> I plan on dedicating my next day off of work to nothing but writing so that it doesn't take me three weeks to post a chapter


	7. Chapter 5

The two young toms trotted through the forest, Graypaw’s ears perked with excitement as he paused at every shrub, stone, and tree to show off the forest. Firepaw kept on the same level of excitement, though he couldn’t help but find a small part of him worrying for Longtail. After all, the warrior may have been rough, but running off like that still made him feel like something was wrong.

“Oh! This is where I caught my first mouse ever!” The fluffy tom chirped, turning to face the ginger tom with the large grin that barely left his face the entire time. “I had almost missed it, ‘cause I waddled around like a badger the entire time, but when I got it Lionheart was so proud of me!”

The short-furred apprentice let out a half-snort, half-laugh at the waddling comment as the gray tom even exaggerated it by stomping around. At hearing the tom’s mentor had been proud of him, though, there was slight hesitation.

_ I caught my first prey but all Longtail did was get upset. _

Graypaw noticed this change of mood and shouldered Firepaw.

“You’ll get a compliment from Longtail soon enough,” He assured gently, his smile faded into a look of soft sympathy. After a moment of calm silence between the two, he smiled once more. “And if not, I’ll sit on him until he yields and admits you’re good for ThunderClan.”

That was enough to earn a laugh from the ginger tabby.

“I’m gonna keep you to that.”

The fluffy cat held his head high; “You bet your whiskers I will! It’s a promise!”

Joy replaced the bubbling doubt that had been building up inside the tom as the two padded about, Graypaw’s smile being so infectious that Firepaw felt just a bit self-conscious that he was smiling so much himself. He couldn’t help it. It felt good to have someone in his age range who was just so open and willing to hang out with him.

Back in the twolegplace it was just him and Cocoa. Kittypets avoided him for being without a twoleg and Cocoa had told him not to trust cats in their area, claiming there were too many cats who were a part of a dangerous group.

_ Though.. She also called the Clans dangerous, too, so.. _ He felt his smile falter slightly. He didn’t want to cast doubt on the she-cat who raised him, but he couldn’t help it. Of course he had no proof these cats  _ weren’t _ dangerous, but they had a system in place. He heard mention of living together and a Code. Surely they weren’t all just feral beasts?

Glancing at Graypaw, his smile returned. The upbeat tom was still talking away without a care in the world. Perhaps of the things Cocoa taught him, maybe this was something she was wrong about. That cats in groups weren’t all bad.

“Oh!” The sudden stop by his companion had Firepaw running right into the fluffy apprentice. He glanced curiously at Graypaw, noticing his shock. “I think Longtail and Mossdusk are close! I hear something!” 

Hurrying forward, the duo kept moving, the ginger tom not hearing much but still trusting the gray tom’s word. The sound of faint laughter and giggling caused the tabby to slow and - not long after he did - the heavier apprentice slowed with him.

He couldn’t make out the word quite yet, but he knew one of the voices was for sure Mossdusk. However, it felt strange to imagine Longtail laughing as freely and loudly as this other voice was. The two kept creeping forward, remaining slight as they tried to figure out what was going on. Were they about to interrupt something?

The toms slipped into a bush as the words became clearer and clearer.

“It’s been a while since we got to talk like this.” Came Mossdusk’s mew, a purr tangled into his usual tone. Peeking through the underbrush, Firepaw saw the two sitting side by side, tails tangled together as Longtail leaned against the whote and gray tom.

“I know,” The lean tabby let out a sigh. “Things have just been.. Complicated lately.”

“You know you can talk to me.”

“I know.”

“Especially if you want me to be your mate~”

The pale warrior tensed suddenly as he swatted at Mossdusk’s ear.

“ _ You’re such a foxheart! _ ” He huffed, his tone not matching the usual weight of the insult that Firepaw had heard Cocoa mumble under her breath many times.

“Hey!” Mossdusk purred. “You’re the one who said it, not me.”

“I said  _ yet _ !”

“Implying that you want to ask.” 

The taller warrior fell silent, clearly flustered. After giving the tabby a nuzzle, the smaller tom moved away and motioned towards the forest.

“Let’s go find the apprentices before Whitestorm has kits out of sheer anger.”

Another laugh came from Longtail, making Firepaw wish he had gotten to hear that noise himself without eavesdropping on his mentor and another warrior.

“That’d be a sight! Someone would need to tell Willowpelt.”

“We’re here!” Graypaw stumbled out of the underbrush before the ginger apprentice even knew what was going on. Quickly he followed after, facing a now stunned Longtail and a slightly impressed Mossdusk.

“How long had you two been there?” The tall tabby asked, taking a nervous step back as he moved to stand. Before either apprentice could reply, the other warrior nudged his companion, softer than he had done before.

“Does it matter? The fact we hadn’t caught wind of them until they said something is impressive.”

Longtail shook his head.

“ _ It does matter because- _ ” He cut himself off and glanced at the young intruders, both toms being equally confused on why the warrior was angry. “Nevermind. He’s right. You two impressed me today. I don’t know how long you had been there, I don’t  _ want _ to know, but you did sneak up on us.”

Firepaw felt a warmth at the praise, though the confusion still sunk deep within him. Was Longtail embarrassed at being affectionate with another cat?

.

.

.

.

The rest of the patrol was rather calm. Longtail didn’t speak much, but that was made up for by Graypaw, who wasn’t afraid to talk about anything that he could think of. Mossdusk didn’t allow much room for silence either, giving Firepaw time to learn about the territory - from the frightening Snakerocks to the East, to the Tallpines to the South near the twolegplace, and even the Sandy Hollow, where his mentor mentioned wanting to take Firepaw at a later time to work on his training. 

As the four started back toward camp, Graypaw paused for a moment.

It wasn’t a long silence, granted, as the gray tom had to glance around a couple times before he found whatever words he was lingering on.

“Hey, why aren’t we showing him Sunningrocks?”

“Sunningrocks?” Firepaw echoed, but Longtail refused to look at the two. There was a moment of silence, a silence the ginger tom couldn’t understand.

“It’s.. Dangerous right now. With RiverClan deciding that they want to pick fights, I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring two young apprentices that way.” His words were stiff and Mossdusk rose a brow, but the silence from the tabby told the three that he refused to say more.

“RiverClan.. That’s the cats that attacked Redtail and his patrol, right?”

Graypaw nodded.

“Yeah, but I don’t see why they’d try to pick a fight with a very small patrol-”

“We’re not going. Not today.” Longtail’s tone came of harsher, almost like a hiss. Firepaw froze for a moment, worried the tabby would try to fight him again, but when nothing happened he slowly padded along. Mossdusk’s brow fell to a sharp frown.

“Why are you so worried? It’s not like there’s going to be two fights in one day.”

The warrior refused to respond right away, however, and instead walked faster towards camp. Something inside Firepaw began gnawing at him.

“We’ll talk about it later, Mossdusk.”

The gray and white tom frowned even more and looked away. 

_ They were just getting along so well.. What happened? _ The ginger tabby couldn’t wrap his head around what just happened.

“Can we go.. Tomorrow?” He asked the two warriors.

There was silence for a moment.

“We’ll see.” 

Not even Graypaw could find words to fill the silence back to camp. The four entered without a single word between them as the sun began to set in the distance. It took Firepaw this long to realize how late it was as he watched Longtail slip to the warriors den and Mossdusk make his way wordlessly to where Stonefur and Whitestorm were sitting. This left the two apprentices sitting right at the entrance to camp.

The gray tom glanced over and opened his maw for a second only to be interrupted as a warrior pushed past them. Firepaw looked to be met with the amber gaze of Tigerclaw. 

“Watch where you’re standing.” He meowed gruffly through the fur of a vole. The ginger tom nodded, moving aside as he let the dark tabby stride to the fresh-kill pile.

“That got.. Weird at the end.” Graypaw whispered and he couldn’t help but nod in agreement as he stared after the warriors. It wasn’t long before he noticed Bluestar move out of her den with the rose-tailed molly from before by her side, catching the eye of every other cat in camp.

Cats began to crowd around the leader and flame-colored tom felt himself drawn to join them. After all the blue-gray molly had such authority to her that it was hard to not want to listen. 

“What’s going on?” He whispered to his friend.

“Bluestar’s picking cats to attend the gathering.”

“The gathering?”

“Yeah, a gathering is-” Frostfur, who was sitting nearby, shushed the two and Graypaw dipped his head apologetically before lowering his voice. “A gathering is where all four Clans came together to meet up, talk about how things have been, and where four become one, just for a night.”

“Cats of ThunderClan!” Bluestar called from her point on top of the large rock she called her den. “Tonight is the night of another gathering. Only Featherwhisker and Runningwind will join me. Redtail is still recovering and Spottedleaf will stay behind with him. As for the rest - we will be joined by Whitestorm, Lionheart, Mossdusk, Tigerclaw, Stonefur, Rosetail, Speckletail, Sandpaw, and Dustpaw.”

Firepaw watched as the cats called rose their heads high. He even caught Sandpaw and Dustpaw grinning at each other like excited kits.

“We’re not gonna hear the end of this gathering,” Graypaw huffed as he watched the two. “Those two are gonna be bragging for moons that they got to attend a gathering before either of us.”

“You’re just jealous cause we get to go and you don’t~” Sandpaw teased, her tail swaying as the gathered cats dispersed. 

“We’re gonna see the leaders for ourselves and there’s nothin’ you can say or do about it!” Dustpaw added as he walked past, smacking Firepaw in the face with his swaying tail. “Oops, did I do that?”

As the tom snickered, the ginger tom frowned.

_ He did that on purpose. _

The cats Bluestar had called were already starting to gather around towards the camp’s entrance, their chattering hard to hear but all of it sounded excited. The blue-gray molly led them all out, leaving silence settled in the camp for a moment before there was a small huff from a cat nearby. 

“Of course she brings her kits. She doesn’t even try to hide it.” Darkstripe was standing not far, his bitter words cutting through the silence.

“Darkstripe!” Spottedleaf was standing near the medicine cat den, her tail lashing as she seemed shocked at the tom’s words. “You know as well as any cat that she has kin over in RiverClan! Show some respect!”

The dark gray tabby turned, snarling.

“And if her daughters cared, they wouldn’t be in a Clan of foxhearts.” He snapped back. The small tortoiseshell bristled and for a moment she lowered herself as if she was ready to fight this warrior, but was stopped when Redtail came forward out of the medicine cat den, standing in front of the molly. 

“There doesn’t need to be any fighting tonight,” The tortoiseshell narrowed their eyes. “It’s a gathering and there should be peace  _ everywhere _ not just at the gathering. Just because someone chose to walk a different path in a different Clan doesn’t make them our enemy. Both of Bluestar’s daughters have the right to walk among their kin in RiverClan just as you had the right to stay in ThunderClan-”

“Enough,” Darkstripe lashed his tail. “I’m going to rest.”

Redtail opened their maw to say something but Spottedleaf stepped beside him, whispering something. The two tortoiseshells stood in silence for a moment before the molly turned and headed back inside of the medicine cat den.

“Bluestar has more kits than just Stonefur and Mossdusk?” Firepaw asked, glancing at Graypaw not allowing the silence of another awkward fight to settle like what happened during the patrol. The gray tom nodded.

“Yeah. From what I know she has two daughters over there. I don’t know their names, but one of them is a couple moons older than us and the other is Mossdusk and Stonefur’s littermate.”

“Mistyfoot was the one from the same litter as Bluestar’s two sons,” Came an approaching voice. Redtail neared the two young toms. “She didn’t spend much time in ThunderClan. The moment she met her dad, Oakheart, she chose to live with him. Silverpaw - the other one you mentioned - had to be given up.”

“Why?” Firepaw asked, brow furrowed.

“Because at the time there wasn’t enough prey. We had just rescued Dustpaw and Ravenpaw when they were still small and Sandpaw and her brothers weren’t doing too well.” They stopped themself before shaking their head. “She chose to give up her only surviving kit. RiverClan was still thriving off of fish while we were struggling.”

It was solemn for a moment before the deputy offered a small smile.

“Of course, things have gotten better since. Silverpaw was given the option to move back, but it seems she’s happy over there with Oakheart and Mistyfoot.”

“Cats can move that easily?”

“Not exactly, but because Bluestar and Oakheart were arranged, their kits have free choice on where they want to live.”

“Arranged?”

Redtail let out a small laugh.

“That’s.. Something two young toms like yourselves shouldn’t need to worry about.”

This just left both apprentices with more questions, but the tolly didn’t seem keen on answering any as they avoided eye contact for a moment. 

“But Bluestar’s kits aren’t the only cats like that, of course. Darkstripe has ShadowClan blood, for example, so if he ever wanted to move there, he would just need to tell Bluestar that he would like to move and Brokenstar - ShadowClan’s leader - would need to approve it.”

Graypaw opened his maw, but they waved their dark ginger tail.

“That’s enough for tonight. You two need to get some sleep. Tomorrow the three of you will be doing some light training.”

“The three of us?” The fluffy tom asked.

“Ah, yes. Ravenpaw will be joining you two tomorrow. Tigerclaw requested to see how he was affected after what happened today and Spottedleaf and Featherwhisker approved as long as there was no battle training.”

Firepaw let his gaze wander to the medicine cat den. All he could picture was the small shape on the deputy’s back who was later laying on a mossy nest, covered in herbs.

“Is he okay?”

Redtail nodded.

“He was mostly in shock, but he got hit pretty hard by a warrior,” They took a moment to let out a small breath, as if remembering what happened hurt. “It was just a rough time for everyone involved. From what Tigerclaw told me, he hadn’t been in a fight like that before.”

There was a moment of hesitation from the ginger apprentice. Something seemed strange about hearing that, but he wasn’t sure what. 

_ Maybe you’re just tired. _

“You two get some rest now. It’s been a long day.” The tortoiseshell shooed the two toms to the apprentice’s den. As they walked, Graypaw bounced on his paws. 

“Oh! Yeah! I built you a nest while you were out hunting with Longtail! It’s right next to mine and I shared some of the feathers so that it’s comfy.”

Firepaw smiled as they stepped into the den. Sure enough there was another nest there that hadn’t been there before, with feathers lining it just like the fluffy tom’s.

“Thanks, Graypaw.”

“It’s nothing. I figured it’d help you sleep good with how soft and cozy it is. I don’t know how good your nest was as a loner, but I hope you like it!” He meowed, curling up in his own nest. 

The tabby took a moment, testing it out before fully laying down. It wasn’t like the twoleg nesting material he had before, but it was nice.

“I love it.”

From next to him, he heard Graypaw purr happily. It almost sounded like a monster running down the thunderpath. Smiling, he found it kind of funny that that was enough to help him begin to fall asleep.


	8. Chapter 6

Firepaw’s legs ached as he ran through the forest, the moon a wide, blind silver eye in the sky staring down at him as he weaved through trees and jumped over tangled roots that covered the ground. Cold chills raked down his back - unseen claws of despair that made him shiver despite how badly his body was burning.

But he had to keep moving. He wasn’t sure why but he had to keep moving. 

As he jumped over another root, his leaf-green eyes grew wide with terror as he watched the ground fall apart right where he was going to run. He opened his mouth to yowl but no sound came out. He flailed helplessly, trying to grab at anything and everything, but once he was through the hole it was as if he was taken by complete darkness.

Looking down, terrified to see what was waiting for him at the bottom, all he could see was a pair of amber eyes staring up at him, never getting closer, never getting further.

“Who-”

\---

“Firepaw!” The ginger tom woke with a start as he felt a paw jab his back. Looking up, he came face to face with Graypaw, the young tom’s yellow eyes shining in the early morning light. “Come on! We’re going to be late for training!”

He let out a yawn as his fuzzy companion jumped towards the entrance to the apprentices den. Glancing around the den, the tabby tom found that Dustpaw and Sandpaw were somehow sound asleep through how loud their fellow apprentice was being. 

_ That’s right. They were gone all night because of the gathering. _ Part of him wondered how he could've forgotten that already as his dream was fading to nothing but a distant memory. He shook his head and started following Graypaw. He wasn’t even fully outside when he noticed some cats sitting together in the middle of camp. Tigerclaw, Longtail, Lionheart, and Ravenpaw were all sitting together in silence, seemingly waiting. 

“He’s up! We can go now!” Graypaw shouted as he ran over to the largest of the three toms, who looked down at him with kindness in his green eyes. Glancing at Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw, it quickly hit Firepaw that those two were mentor and apprentice.

_ Then.. Why was Ravenpaw with Redtail yesterday?  _ The question lingered on his mind as he noticed that the small black tom refused to even look at his mentor, his pale gaze focused on the ground as the dark tabby barely seemed to notice his apprentice was even there.

Looking towards Longtail, the lean tabby looked irritated.

“I don’t know what kind of life you were living before, but you need to start waking up at a decent time.” His voice was tense, like he had been before Mossdusk had joined them yesterday.

“Come now, Longtail. Firepaw is still adjusting to our way of life. Be patient.” Lionheart’s rumbling mew soothed the worry going through the apprentice’s mind as his mentor looked away. The massive fluffy warrior radiated an energy about him that made the ginger tom feel warm and safe.

“Well, if we’re all here, we can go,” Tigerclaw’s voice cut through the gentle feeling. “We have a long day of training ahead of us.”

Lionheart gave a nod and gave his tail a short, quick flick as he moved on out of the camp, followed by the other two warriors. Graypaw trotted off quickly after and Firepaw was prepared to follow when he noticed Ravenpaw lagging behind. He rose his brow slightly.

_ Is.. Is Ravenpaw like Dustpaw and Sandpaw? Does he not like me, either? _ When the two toms locked eyes, the black tom’s eyes widened.

“A-ah, s-sorry,” He squeaked before picking up his pace. As he passed the ginger tom heard the other apprentice mutter out another quick; “Sorry..”

His worry melted to sympathy as he reminded himself that something bad happened just yesterday. 

_ He was attacked the same day, I should be assuming like that..  _ Pushing away the more negative thoughts, he moved to catch up with the others. 

The small clowder was a little disjointed as they moved through the forest. The warriors took the lead, walking near each other and speaking rather casually, pretty okay if the apprentices heard anything, though it was mostly Tigerclaw and Lionheart talking about their kits from what Firepaw could tell. Meanwhile, Graypaw was next to the ginger tom, buzzing with excitement, though remaining mostly silent outside of some light humming.

Then there was Ravenpaw, who once again was falling behind, ears low as he seemingly refused to look up from the ground. Firepaw wished he knew what was going on in his head. Even if he reasoned why the apprentice was scared, he still really wanted to talk to him.

Graypaw, noticing the attention to the black tom, slowed down, causing the ginger tom to slow down too, though in confusion.

“Hey, Ravenpaw! I’m sure you’ve heard of him already, but I don’t think you were actually introduced, right? Face to face?” He then nudged the tabby and motioned to the black tom.

“Oh! Right! It’s nice to finally talk to you. I’m Firepaw!”

The smaller tom looked up at the two of them, silent for a moment as even he could sense the anxiety rolling off the tom.

“I’m Ravenpaw..” He finally spoke, as meek as he had been back in camp. “It’s.. It’s nice to meet you, too, Firepaw.”

The introduction did seem to help ease the tension in the air as, even with his ears still down, the black apprentice was lifting his head a little higher. 

“Get your paws moving!” Longtail called back to the group of young toms, his name-sake of a tail flicking with irritation. “You have things to do before you get to lay around and gossip like queens!”

With that Tigerclaw gave the smaller tom a mighty shove that sent him stumbling for a moment.

“Hey!”

“Then watch your tongue, or did you forget that Lionheart and I both have mates in the nursery?”

“Well, not all of us do.” Longtail grumbled as he lowered his head in defeat. Firepaw didn’t think his mentor would back down from anyone like that. His gaze fell towards the dark brown tabby that towered over almost every cat there - aside from Lionheart, whom he was on par with.

_ He must be a very respectable warrior. _ He found the thought crossing his mind without really realizing it. Granted the warrior had an intimidating quality, he did have to admit that there was something about the powerful tom that was hard to ignore.

“So, you all know the basics of hunting, correct?” Lionheart asked as he turned to glance at the apprentices, avoiding letting the silence fall too heavily. “Graypaw I know you do.”

Ravenpaw gave a pitiful little nod as Firepaw let out a small; “Yes, sir.”

Longtail rose a brow at the ginger tabby, as if questioning that answer, but didn’t open his maw. Honestly the young tom had fully expected some sort of remark, so a sarcastic look felt better than anything else the tom could’ve thrown at him.

“Good,” Meowed the golden warrior as he motioned up ahead. “We’re going to focus on that today until young Ravenpaw is allowed to join you in learning to defend yourselves.”

Without much of a notice he stopped and turned towards the small black apprentice with a sharpness in his eye that was nowhere near as cutting as some of the looks Firepaw had been given by some of the Clan cats. It was more the look he had seen in Cocoa’s eyes when she was about to give valuable knowledge on the spot.

“Tell me, what’s the best method to catch a rabbit.”

“Oh-” The suddenness caught Ravenpaw off guard for a moment before he hopped to his paws. “Y-you need to be careful where you step, right? Cause.. Unlike mice, rabbits can hear you before they ever see you. And it’s best to hunt with a partner since they’re fast..”

Firepaw could see the tom wanted to ask ‘right’ again but was holding his tongue. When Lionheart nodded slightly, he watched the black cat give a sigh of relief.

“But not only that - rabbits aren’t afraid to put up a fight if they’re cornered. Having someone with you can prevent you from getting hurt.”

This caught ginger tabby off guard.

“They can? I never heard of that.”

“I’m surprised you’ve heard of rabbits.” Longtail scoffed only to be sent a silencing look from Lionheart. The fluffiest of the three warriors let out a small grunt of disapproval towards the lean tabby’s direction before turning back to the apprentices.

“Yes. It doesn’t happen all the time but cats in WindClan hunt them more often than we do. I’ve seen foolish apprentices come to gatherings with their heads hung in embarrassment because they thought they could face a rabbit all by themselves. Only a skilled warrior should try to hunt them by themself.”

After that Longtail stepped forward, his green gaze firmly fixed on Graypaw.

“What’s the most effective way of killing prey?”

The fluffy gray apprentice puffed his chest out in pride.

“I mean, the easiest method for me is to sit on it until it gives up.” He chuckled a bit at his own joke but the tabby in front of him was less pleased.

“I’d like a  _ serious _ answer.” Graypaw pouted a little that his joke hadn’t been given any appreciation. He let out a disappointed sigh.

“You bite it on the back of the neck, ‘cause it breaks its spine. You gotta do it quick or it will alert the other prey in the area.” He answered, scuffing the ground with his paw. The ginger tom felt a pang of sympathy as he watched how let down his friend was. 

_ I thought it was funny.. _

Tigerclaw stepped forward next, Firepaw’s gaze being drawn to the tom’s claws. It was hard to ignore the fact the muscular tabby’s claws were always unsheathed.

_ No wonder he’s got claw in his name.  _ He tried not to picture what it would be like to have to face the warrior in a fight.

“Now. Firepaw,” He looked up to look the tom in his amber eyes. Never before had he felt so small, especially now that he was but a couple whiskers away from him. “What should you avoid when hunting any sort of prey?”

The ginger tom blinked a couple times before looking towards Longtail. Did his mentor really tell everyone what happened yesterday? His excitement for learning more melted slightly as he could suddenly feel everyone’s eyes on him. The same feeling he had entering camp returned and it was as if something was stuck in his throat.

“You.. You should make sure you’re aware of everything around you,” The words felt stuck even as he fumbled to push them out. Were they hearing what he was saying or was this all in his head? He suddenly didn’t know. “Watch your paws.. Keep an eye for any escapes the prey might take..”

“And?”

Firepaw hesitated.

“And?”

“And you need to be aware of the wind. Most prey would be able to scent you if you’re not careful. One small breeze can spoil a hunting patrol if you’re not careful, so keep that in mind.”

He nodded but he couldn’t shake this numb feeling. He couldn’t even bring himself to look any of the warriors in the eye as they resumed speaking. Their words were like echoes as the tom couldn’t focus, no matter how hard he tried.

A pelt brushed against his and he jerked his head just to see Ravenpaw giving a small nod.

“We’re going to do some hunting..” He informed before glancing towards the warriors, who were moving out, and then looking back at Firepaw. “And.. N-not to sound rude but are y-you doing alright? You don’t look like you’re doing good..”

“Yeah,” He breathed, feeling a slight bit of comfort at having someone by his side. “I’ll be okay. I just.. It feels like I was singled out with that question.”

“Don’t let them get you down like that,” Graypaw’s sudden voice caught the tabby off guard as he nearly jumped. Once he realized it was the goofy gray furball, he found himself thankful the larger apprentice was there. “Tigerclaw’s kind of just like that. Longtail, too.”

His smile faltered for a moment.

“I do feel bad you guys gotta deal with them, but if you ever wanna join me and Lionheart for training, I’ll put in a good word so you can come with.”

Firepaw nodded.

“Thanks.”

Ravenpaw didn’t make a noise, instead glancing off for a moment.

“W-we should start hunting. I don’t know if you heard, but w-we’re all supposed to bring something back here before sunhigh,” The small tom shuffled uncomfortably but before either of the other apprentices could ask what was on his mind, he started off. “S-see you guys soon.”

Firepaw and Graypaw made eye contact for a moment before the gray tom nudged his companion. 

“See you in a bit. Don’t let that big badger get in your head.” He offered a smile before moving off into the forest. It took a moment to come to terms with being alone, but once the ginger tabby did he started moving his paws. Despite the words of encouragement something inside of him couldn’t shake what was said.

_ Can I really make it as a forest cat? _

_ What if I fail at this? Will they kick me out of ThunderClan? _

_ Why did I do this..  _

_ Cocoa had the right idea to stay back at the twolegplace. _

It took a bee buzzing right by Firepaw’s ear to snap the tom back to reality. Tense and confused, he looked around before realizing he was at a part of the territory he had yet to see. Sniffing the air, he could tell he was still on ThunderClan territory. However, that only helped a little, especially since he hadn’t paid any attention. 

Sniffing around more and more, he found another scent was nearby. Another group of cats - the scent of fish and reeds and mud.

_ Where is this? _

His pulse quickened as he was tempted to step closer but he stopped himself.

_ No. Not now. You can come back to this place later. _

Though his paws drew him to this territory, he pulled himself back closer to the heart of ThunderClan. His gaze flickered back to that place a few times, but he kept himself on track. Drawing into an area he somewhat recognized, he allowed himself to slow to a stop. Lowering himself slightly, he sniffed the air, trying to shift his mind away from those new scents.

_ Hunt. You have to hunt. _

_ If you can hunt. _

The bitter words returned but he gritted his teeth and kept sniffing the air. He could smell Redtail and Dustpaw, an older scent of a robin who had landed in the spot not long ago, and-

His eyes lit up.

_ A mole. _

He had never hunted a mole before personally, but he remembered the scent from when he had seen one burrowing itself underground. He had been so fascinated at the time that he had forgotten to try to catch it. Quickly he followed the scent until he found a freshly dug hole in the ground, the warm scent of prey pouring out of it. 

With determination burning through him and without a second of hesitation he pressed his ear to the ground for a moment. 

_ Bump bump. _

A heartbeat. It was close enough to the surface he could hear its pulse. The determination grew more as he started digging through the ground. He never tried to dig before but it felt like second nature. His paws shoveled through the dirt quickly and he could feel his hunger for the hunt grow. In the moment nothing else mattered. 

And then he saw the fuzzy creature furiously trying to dig away. Yet, it couldn’t dig fast enough as he yanked the mole out of its safe haven and quickly bit the back of its neck. Feeling the weight of the limp prey in his maw, there was a strong joy rushing through him. However, this wasn't going to last as he stood for a moment, letting his racing heart die down. He glanced down at the prey and the doubt began to bubble back up. 

_ Will anyone even like this catch? _ The thought made him hesitate as he could picture Longtail rolling his eyes or the eternal glare on the face of Tigerclaw. Biting down a little harder he could feel the warm blood fill his mouth and he realized quickly he needed to loosen his grip.

_ Don’t let that big badger get in your head. _ Graypaw’s words echoed after the doubt followed by the feeling of Ravenpaw’s short fur.

_ Even if the warriors don’t like it.. At least I know two cats that will. _ That thought was enough as his dirt-covered paws began to carry him back to the meetup spot.

He wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t the first to return - as he had spent a lot of time questioning himself and doubting everything - but he was surprised to see Lionheart sitting alone with nothing in his paws. Confused, the apprentice placed down his mole and looked at the warrior.

“Nice catch,” The golden, lion-like tom praised warmly. “Not a lot of apprentices catch moles on their first official hunts.”

Though the words warmed the ginger tom, he was more puzzled than anything.

“Thanks, Lionheart, but.. Did you not catch anything?”   
  
The fluffy tom smiled warmly.

“Sort of,” He moved his tail to reveal a collection of three eggs. He looked rather proud of himself for something that Firepaw thought was a small snack at best. “I found these and I’m going to bring them to the queens for a snack.” 

Lionheart must’ve been able to tell what was on the young tom’s mind, as he left out a soft little snort as he covered the eggs back up with his tail.

“Not every catch has to be the best one. Besides, I felt like it was fitting, seeing as there are three queens and I found three eggs.”

_ He does have a point..  _ He noted as he stared where the eggs were hidden. Something about the words, though, clashed with what Longtail and Tigerclaw had said, but the warmth in the fluffy warrior’s tone had Firepaw wanting to believe it to be true.

When he looked up, he realized Lionheart was looking right at him.

“How you’re being treated currently isn’t fair to you,” He meowed as he glanced out to the forest for a moment and then back. “If at any point you feel that you would prefer a new mentor, let me know and I’ll talk to Bluestar for you. It’s custom for Longtail to be made your mentor because he was the one you faced in your challenge, but it doesn’t mean you should tolerate how he treats you.”

The ginger tom looked away sheepishly.

“I know, but.. I just joined. Maybe things will get better.”

The older tom’s gaze became more serious before he let out a sigh.

“I cannot stop you, nor can I stop how my Clanmates feel or how they act. But know that if you need a paw, you have one here. And I can assure you that there will be no tolerance if I see Longtail, Tigerclaw, or any other cat talking down to you. You’re our Clanmate now and they must accept it.”

Those words felt warm, like a comfortable nest. Firepaw nodded and offered a faint smile.

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. We all need to look out for each other, no matter where our paths started.” The words washed through the tom’s mind and cleared out the thoughts that were there. He was part of ThunderClan. He needed to believe that.

These cats were part of who he was now.

With ease in his heart, he waited alongside Lionheart for the rest of the patrol to return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try to focus more on trying to write  
> It's just chaotic right now with general 2020 problems on top of some more self-related ones  
> But I am working on the chapters  
> it's just getting words out in a way that makes sense


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